Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.
Dangers in the Past.
Harry walked slowly into the hall. Everything was unnaturally silent and dark; he could barely see his hand in front of his face, so he was forced to walk slowly, fearing he would collide into something. Even going so slowly, he couldn't help it when he slipped on something wet and fell flat on his face. Groaning in pain, he pulled himself up to his knees and frowned. The floor was covered in something; it felt thicker than water and he couldn't really determine what it was, it also smelled weird. Slowly he stood up, noticing that his clothes were also wet with the substance. He stayed still for a moment, trying to determine what to do, when he finally decided some light was in order. Lifting one hand in front of him, he concentrated slightly, and very slowly a golden light began to shine.
Immediately he wished he hadn't done that. The sight that met his eyes was gruesome; blood was covering the whole floor. Harry shuddered, he had seen some bad things in his life, he should be used to seeing blood, but for some reason seeing only the blood, without a source, seemed to make the sight worse. Taking in a deep breath to calm himself somewhat, he tried to ignore the blood and walked forward, following the pull he still felt. He was a bit startled to find himself in front of the closed doors that led towards the Great Hall. That was strange. Those doors were nearly never closed, they were too big and would have been a nuisance for the students to open every time they went to eat. He considered turning around and looking elsewhere, but the pull kept drawing his attention to the door. Even before he had walked up the first steps of the staircase leading to the upper level, Harry found himself turning around and walking back to the doors. Half annoyed with himself, he put a hand against the door and gently pushed.
A resigned sigh escaped the boy's lips when the door opened without a sound. He had half been hoping it wouldn't so he could turn away. Shaking his head, he entered the room slowly, being careful to not slip out on the blood that was still running across the floor. Once inside, the door closed silently after him, Harry turned slightly, not very surprised, after all this was turning to be a scene of an old horror film.
Muttering to himself, he raised his hand higher and made the small light shine brighter. He immediately wished he hadn't done it. Now he knew where the blood came from. The floor was completely covered with mutilated bodies.
Harry stumbled backwards until he was leaning against the door, the light in his hand wavered until it went out, leaving the boy once again in darkness. Long minutes passed while Harry tried to get his wits back, he had to remain as calm as possible if he wanted to find a way out. Suddenly, a small sound rang through the room, making Harry jump ten feet in the air. It had been very soft but it had resounded in the unnatural silence of the castle as loud as a gunshot.
Harry quickly made the light appear again, whatever it was that was still alive in the room, he wanted to see it rather than let it kill him. A few more minutes passed, while he carefully scanned the room. He was starting to think he had imagined the sound when he saw a small movement coming from the gryffindor table. Slowly, trying not to step on the bodies, Harry walked toward the table. He was very startled when he saw that the sound wasn't coming from any kind of beast, not even from a death eater. Instead, his eyes locked on the small shivering figure of his future father. Young James was sitting against the wall, with a seemingly dead Lily cradled in his arms. Harry frowned. That couldn't be right, James had been asleep in the hospital wing and Lily certainly hadn't been dead. He began to remember what exactly had happened; after leaving his body he had been pulled to James and then everything went black. Narrowing his eyes, Harry began to put things together. He had not only been pulled to James, but apparently also into James. He was in his father's head, and from the looks of it, it wasn't a very pretty thing. Maybe that was why he hadn't woken up yet, if the boy didn't realise this was a dream rather than reality, he would probably not be able to wake up. With a new resolve, knowing he had to get his father out of the castle, Harry moved over to him and knelt in front of the boy, hoping he would be seen.
Softly, Harry spoke. "James."
The shivering boy looked up quickly. His brown eyes were big and hopeless, his frame started to tremble even more while he pulled Lily closer against him.
Harry frowned slightly, wondering how long he had been there. "James, can you hear me?"
The boy's terrified expression changed to one of confusion. "H.Harry? B.but you're dead! Am I dead?"
Harry couldn't help but chuckle slightly, despite the situation they were in. "James, relax, you're not dead."
The boy looked sadly down at his girlfriend. "Lily's dead."
Harry shook his head firmly. "No, James, Lily's not dead."
James looked up at him disbelieving. "Yes she is. Look."
The boy moved the body he was holding a bit and Harry had to repress a shudder at the image of his dead mother. It was a painful reminder of what would happen in the future. Pushing his memories aside, he looked once again at his father. "Yes, I see her, but she's not the real Lily, this is not the real world, it's just a dream."
James stared at him sceptical. "A dream? This is not a dream, this is real, Lily is dead."
Harry groaned and put his head between his hands; he had to convince the other boy this was not real. Suddenly an idea started to form in his mind. "James, if this is real, then tell me how it come I'm here?" His future father looked at him in confusion. "I'm dead, remember? I couldn't be here talking with you if this was real."
James looked pensive at him, loosening his grip on Lily. "You are a ghost."
Harry raised an eyebrow and extended his arm. "You cannot touch ghosts, try touching me."
The young boy extended his arm tentatively, while Harry fervently hoped James would be able to touch him. The moment James touched him a bright light bathed the room and the bodies disappeared. Harry looked around, it seemed things were going well. His father shakily stood up and looked around in wonder. "It was all a dream?"
Harry smirked slightly. "Well, more like a nightmare, but yes."
James whirled around and looked at him intently. "How comes you're still here?"
The boy's smirk softened. "You haven't woken up yet. I'm guessing I'll have to stay here until you wake up. I haven't much idea on what's going on, but it kind of makes sense. Let's get out of this room, it's starting to give me the creeps again."
James nodded and together they left the great hall. When they were walking across the large lawns that surrounded Hogwarts, James spoke again.
"Can I ask you something?"
Harry looked at him questioningly. "Yes, of course."
"Why did you do it?"
James stopped walking and Harry turned to gaze him questioningly. "Do what?"
"Jump in front of the killing curse for us, getting killed for us. I just don't understand it, you barely knew Lily and me."
Harry sighed and turned around to gaze at the lake, wondering what he should tell the other boy. "Does it matter, James?"
His future father nodded decisively. "It matters to me, I need to understand why you did it."
Harry walked towards the lake and sat down next to a tree, motioning for the other boy to take a place next to him. "Well, it's a rather complicated story and I won't go into the details." James nodded and sat down next to him. "You see, Ryan, Daniel, Ethan, my friends and I, aren't exactly from your time-period. We come from the future. We went sent back by Albus Dumbledore to take care of the Death-Eaters of our time that had invaded yours."
James gapped at him. "You come from the future?"
Harry laughed. "Yes, that's what I said. I jumped in front of you because you weren't meant to die that day."
James stayed silent for a moment, then he shook his head. "It still doesn't make sense. Even if you come from the future and I wasn't meant to die, you still don't jump in front of the killing curse for someone you don't know. It's useless to give up one live for another."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "You mean it's useless for me to give up my life for my existence? That doesn't make much sense James."
The other boy now looked completely confused. "Existence? What do you mean?"
Harry laughed softly and extended a hand towards his father. "I'm afraid we haven't been properly introduced. My name's Harry Potter, and I'm the son of James and Lily Potter."
To be continued.
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. Thanks to my beta reader, Tanya. Sorry it took so long, it was difficult to get it right.
Dangers in the Past.
Harry walked slowly into the hall. Everything was unnaturally silent and dark; he could barely see his hand in front of his face, so he was forced to walk slowly, fearing he would collide into something. Even going so slowly, he couldn't help it when he slipped on something wet and fell flat on his face. Groaning in pain, he pulled himself up to his knees and frowned. The floor was covered in something; it felt thicker than water and he couldn't really determine what it was, it also smelled weird. Slowly he stood up, noticing that his clothes were also wet with the substance. He stayed still for a moment, trying to determine what to do, when he finally decided some light was in order. Lifting one hand in front of him, he concentrated slightly, and very slowly a golden light began to shine.
Immediately he wished he hadn't done that. The sight that met his eyes was gruesome; blood was covering the whole floor. Harry shuddered, he had seen some bad things in his life, he should be used to seeing blood, but for some reason seeing only the blood, without a source, seemed to make the sight worse. Taking in a deep breath to calm himself somewhat, he tried to ignore the blood and walked forward, following the pull he still felt. He was a bit startled to find himself in front of the closed doors that led towards the Great Hall. That was strange. Those doors were nearly never closed, they were too big and would have been a nuisance for the students to open every time they went to eat. He considered turning around and looking elsewhere, but the pull kept drawing his attention to the door. Even before he had walked up the first steps of the staircase leading to the upper level, Harry found himself turning around and walking back to the doors. Half annoyed with himself, he put a hand against the door and gently pushed.
A resigned sigh escaped the boy's lips when the door opened without a sound. He had half been hoping it wouldn't so he could turn away. Shaking his head, he entered the room slowly, being careful to not slip out on the blood that was still running across the floor. Once inside, the door closed silently after him, Harry turned slightly, not very surprised, after all this was turning to be a scene of an old horror film.
Muttering to himself, he raised his hand higher and made the small light shine brighter. He immediately wished he hadn't done it. Now he knew where the blood came from. The floor was completely covered with mutilated bodies.
Harry stumbled backwards until he was leaning against the door, the light in his hand wavered until it went out, leaving the boy once again in darkness. Long minutes passed while Harry tried to get his wits back, he had to remain as calm as possible if he wanted to find a way out. Suddenly, a small sound rang through the room, making Harry jump ten feet in the air. It had been very soft but it had resounded in the unnatural silence of the castle as loud as a gunshot.
Harry quickly made the light appear again, whatever it was that was still alive in the room, he wanted to see it rather than let it kill him. A few more minutes passed, while he carefully scanned the room. He was starting to think he had imagined the sound when he saw a small movement coming from the gryffindor table. Slowly, trying not to step on the bodies, Harry walked toward the table. He was very startled when he saw that the sound wasn't coming from any kind of beast, not even from a death eater. Instead, his eyes locked on the small shivering figure of his future father. Young James was sitting against the wall, with a seemingly dead Lily cradled in his arms. Harry frowned. That couldn't be right, James had been asleep in the hospital wing and Lily certainly hadn't been dead. He began to remember what exactly had happened; after leaving his body he had been pulled to James and then everything went black. Narrowing his eyes, Harry began to put things together. He had not only been pulled to James, but apparently also into James. He was in his father's head, and from the looks of it, it wasn't a very pretty thing. Maybe that was why he hadn't woken up yet, if the boy didn't realise this was a dream rather than reality, he would probably not be able to wake up. With a new resolve, knowing he had to get his father out of the castle, Harry moved over to him and knelt in front of the boy, hoping he would be seen.
Softly, Harry spoke. "James."
The shivering boy looked up quickly. His brown eyes were big and hopeless, his frame started to tremble even more while he pulled Lily closer against him.
Harry frowned slightly, wondering how long he had been there. "James, can you hear me?"
The boy's terrified expression changed to one of confusion. "H.Harry? B.but you're dead! Am I dead?"
Harry couldn't help but chuckle slightly, despite the situation they were in. "James, relax, you're not dead."
The boy looked sadly down at his girlfriend. "Lily's dead."
Harry shook his head firmly. "No, James, Lily's not dead."
James looked up at him disbelieving. "Yes she is. Look."
The boy moved the body he was holding a bit and Harry had to repress a shudder at the image of his dead mother. It was a painful reminder of what would happen in the future. Pushing his memories aside, he looked once again at his father. "Yes, I see her, but she's not the real Lily, this is not the real world, it's just a dream."
James stared at him sceptical. "A dream? This is not a dream, this is real, Lily is dead."
Harry groaned and put his head between his hands; he had to convince the other boy this was not real. Suddenly an idea started to form in his mind. "James, if this is real, then tell me how it come I'm here?" His future father looked at him in confusion. "I'm dead, remember? I couldn't be here talking with you if this was real."
James looked pensive at him, loosening his grip on Lily. "You are a ghost."
Harry raised an eyebrow and extended his arm. "You cannot touch ghosts, try touching me."
The young boy extended his arm tentatively, while Harry fervently hoped James would be able to touch him. The moment James touched him a bright light bathed the room and the bodies disappeared. Harry looked around, it seemed things were going well. His father shakily stood up and looked around in wonder. "It was all a dream?"
Harry smirked slightly. "Well, more like a nightmare, but yes."
James whirled around and looked at him intently. "How comes you're still here?"
The boy's smirk softened. "You haven't woken up yet. I'm guessing I'll have to stay here until you wake up. I haven't much idea on what's going on, but it kind of makes sense. Let's get out of this room, it's starting to give me the creeps again."
James nodded and together they left the great hall. When they were walking across the large lawns that surrounded Hogwarts, James spoke again.
"Can I ask you something?"
Harry looked at him questioningly. "Yes, of course."
"Why did you do it?"
James stopped walking and Harry turned to gaze him questioningly. "Do what?"
"Jump in front of the killing curse for us, getting killed for us. I just don't understand it, you barely knew Lily and me."
Harry sighed and turned around to gaze at the lake, wondering what he should tell the other boy. "Does it matter, James?"
His future father nodded decisively. "It matters to me, I need to understand why you did it."
Harry walked towards the lake and sat down next to a tree, motioning for the other boy to take a place next to him. "Well, it's a rather complicated story and I won't go into the details." James nodded and sat down next to him. "You see, Ryan, Daniel, Ethan, my friends and I, aren't exactly from your time-period. We come from the future. We went sent back by Albus Dumbledore to take care of the Death-Eaters of our time that had invaded yours."
James gapped at him. "You come from the future?"
Harry laughed. "Yes, that's what I said. I jumped in front of you because you weren't meant to die that day."
James stayed silent for a moment, then he shook his head. "It still doesn't make sense. Even if you come from the future and I wasn't meant to die, you still don't jump in front of the killing curse for someone you don't know. It's useless to give up one live for another."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "You mean it's useless for me to give up my life for my existence? That doesn't make much sense James."
The other boy now looked completely confused. "Existence? What do you mean?"
Harry laughed softly and extended a hand towards his father. "I'm afraid we haven't been properly introduced. My name's Harry Potter, and I'm the son of James and Lily Potter."
To be continued.
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. Thanks to my beta reader, Tanya. Sorry it took so long, it was difficult to get it right.