Tempus Magia

Part Two

Chapter 12: Gold Dust

Hermione Granger made a grave error during the final battle that resulted in Remus's death. Working as an unspeakable she spends two years working on a spell using powder from time turners to go back to Remus's greatest hour of need. What if Remus's greatest time of need wasn't in *this* war?

James smiled adoringly up at his wife as she hung up her coat. Sometimes he wondered how he got so lucky. Lily whipped her head around, her cheeks flushed with anger and emerald eyes deadly like a thousand Avadas. Other times, like now, he wondered why he wasn't bent like Snivellus. "I told you I was sorry Lily!"

"Sorry?" Lily's voice dropped to a deadly whisper as she rounded him on properly. "Sorry?! Do you even realize how delicate baby Harry is? If you had actually scared me I could have lost him! My aunt lost her unborn child in her last trimester! We haven't even passed our first! I still have no idea why we named him this early, the healer said we shouldn't!"

James shivered. It had been a total accident. He walked out of the Loo at the same time Lily was walking down the hall and she screeched and tripped. She dropped like a stone. He was never as thankful that he had spent years honing his Quidditch and now, Auror skills.

His body moved before his mind had even registered that his six-week pregnant wife was falling, her precious cargo with her. He didn't stop to register that his mother who had been staying with them since his father succumbed to dragon pox four weeks earlier, was running down the hall her eyes wide with fear. Or his mother's house elf, Flabney who was shouting for him to stop as he ran thundered down the stairs and straight into the Floo.

Once they arrived in the emergency witch's department Saint Mungos and Lily was on a bed being examined by a Healer, James transfigured himself robes to go over his boxers. Unfortunately or fortunately for the welcome witch who was staring at his arse even after he rushed off with his wife, he hadn't thought to put robes on his naked body before rushing through the Floo.

James sent a quick Patronus to Head Auror Moody letting him know he would be out of work for a family emergency. Moody responded with a simple, "Try not scaring your wife when you come out of the loo, you buzzard. Tell Bernie at Mungos I say hi."

Much like Albus Dumbledore, Moody always knew what was going and when it happened. He even knew what Longbottom's rash on his arm was before Longbottom realized he had a rash, to begin with.

"Lily love, I know I have a bit of a reputation as a prankster but-"

"A bit? A bit?" she stuttered. "You charmed all of my bras to say 'Property of James Potter,' for two years!"

James resisted the urge to chuckle. It was only because Remus had an actual fit with foot stomping and hexing involved, did he remove the charm in the first place. Even then it took several months of pleading and begging. Apparently, she was getting teased by the other girls in her dormitory.

Having grown and become just a smidgen smarter and microscopically more mature. He murmured calmingly at his extremely irate pregnant wife. "I am so sorry about that love. I was madly in love with you and terrified you were going to realize how much better you could do than me."

Lily crossed her arms against her chest. He could see her temper slowly deflating. He watched her breathe in and out and calm herself. It only took a minute, but she was back to being his Lily bear. Smiling at him wryly, she finally spoke. "I can't believe you ran through Saint Mungos in your knickers."

James shrugged and pulled his mostly calm wife into a hug. "My wife and my son were in danger, love. There is little I wouldn't do."

"Would you swim naked in the Thames?"

"Sure," he said without thinking. "Curious, though why am I swimming naked in the Thames?"

Lily quirked an eyebrow. "Have you met you?"

James chuckled and dropped a kiss on her forehead and then on her belly. "How's little Harry?"

Lily rubbed her belly protectively. "Still little and healthy according to the mediwitch. She said that his magic was already developing. I didn't realize magic came in so early."

James hugged his wife like she was made fractured china that would crack and shatter at any moment. "Magical pregnancies are usually very hard on the mother."

"Usually?"

"Yeah, studies are coming out now that muggleborn are changing the statistics because they have both lines of genetics and therefore more frequent and easier pregnancies. It definitely explains while Halfblood greatly outnumbers the Purebloods. I should tell Sirius, he'll be pleased." Lily held onto her belly protectively. James gripped her shoulders. "It's going to be okay, Lily. We can protect our family."

Lily buried herself in James' arms. "I can't lose any more family. We already lost my parents', your father, and the McKinnons. I'm not sure my heart can-"

James felt the loud rush of magic before he saw it. The power of it almost blew him off of his feet. It was only because he was grounded and holding onto Lily that she didn't get knocked over. Both of their wands were drawn as a shimmering golden vortex appeared in the middle of their living room.

James moved his body to shield his wife and his son. He felt her cast a shield over the three of them, her wand pointed steadily in front of her. They played to their strengths. She was always defense and he, the Auror, was offense.

A loud whistling noise pierced the house as furniture flung itself out of the way, making a home for the small maelstrom in their living room. James watched the thing in front of him carefully, the gold was sand. What kind of magical sand-

Suddenly, the wind picked up and James caught sight of something inside the sands.

"James!" Lily shouted.

"I see it! Keep your wand up!" Without breaking eye contact with the danger in front of him, he called Flabney.

The house elf cowered in the corner, murmuring about, "Big magic, master! Big magic, master!"

"Flabney is it danger-" Lily began just a female high pitched shriek came from within what was inside.

"James!" Lily shouted just an arm escaped the vortex for a split moment before being violently snapped back inside. The vortex was fighting to keep the girl inside, but that wasn't had frozen his blood in horror. It was the carving etched in her flesh.

Mudblood

They moved as one to help save the girl. They didn't need to speak or ask each other for permission. Their magic erupted and merged together, breaking through the swirling sands. The vortex widened taking up more of the room as dust separated from their attack. They needed to get her out of there.

The dust lashed out at having been pulled away from the girl and morphed some of its particles into a knife. James cast a shield around the girl, who was about their age just as the knife struck. James staggered as his shields fought against the sands.

What in the bloody hell was this magic?!

The knife withdrew and crashed a second time, this time putting pressure with the vortex. The girl screamed and the noise rose every hair on his skin. Her face was obscured by a riot of swirling brown curls. She was wearing muggle clothes. Only a simple grey hoodie and jeans.

"Lily," he yelled back as the magic came crashing down again, "I don't know how long the shields are going to hold. I don't think she's going to make it!"

"What if we expel it?" she shouted over the steadily growing howling.

"To where? We have no idea what it is!"

"Can we contain it?"

"With what?! I'm literally only wearing knickers that I transfigured into robes!"

Lily shuffled behind him and bent down, picking up a small bracelet that looked like it was made by a child. Lily squinted at small little images on the fuzzy wiring. She gasped and sent a Patronus to his mother. James couldn't hear what she said but her face was pale and her hands were shaking.

His mother arrived just as James' shields around the girl began to fail from the sands vigorous onslaught. Lily had withdrawn hers, in order to keep their own shield up around them.

Euphemia Potter came storming into the room, her tailored robes in an elegant and purposeful flurry around her legs. She held a round black orb in hands and she was chanting a spell that James couldn't hear over the noise in the room.

The wind began to slow as she chanted the sands retreating into the orb. Within the orb, the sand stormed and swirled angrily. Even across the room, James could feel the rage at being contained. The need to be freed.

The process was painfully slow and before James knew what was happening, he was holding his wife back from running to the stranger. He felt sympathy for the girl, but she was essentially a stranger who apparated past his wards and into his home.

He took a look at her huddled form to search for weapons. She was slumped face down on the floor. She looked dead.

"Lily," he whispered. "We-"

The girl groaned as she struggled to get up. James held his wife's wrist firmly back behind her.

"Lily," he repeated looking at her belly. She nodded and stayed behind his shoulder.

The girl had managed to get on all fours, her eyes were fading from a bright yellow that James' knew all too well, to a brown that was not unlike his own.

"Remus," she croaked. Something in her voice implied that she had failed in whatever this magic was attempting and that it was her doing. James' exchanged a look with Lily. Her eye color combined with a name he knew as well his own…

Her eyes focused and she looked straight at him, devastation coloring her young features. She choked and stumbled and James caught her on instinct. She relaxed into his arms murmuring, "Harry."

James froze as did Lily. No one knew Harry's name yet. Only the two of them. They hadn't even told mum or Sirius.

"James?" Lily's voice was shaky. The girl looked over his shoulder at the same time she began to seize. James yelled for Flabney to get a Healer, only to hear his mother contradict him and order a room prepared and a list of potions brought. She cast a spell that stopped the seizures, long enough for the girl to make eye contact with James and then Lily again.

As the girl's eyes closed, she murmured loud enough that the whole room heard, "Shit, Harry. I think I royally fucked this time."

Remus stood in front of Albus Dumbledore and Head Auror Moody. "... and that is why we think this is the safest option."

Dumbledore nodded in agreement with the seasoned Auror. "We know there is a spy and too many of the Order members suspect you because you are a werewolf. It's not fair but we also can't send anyone else on this mission. Sirius offered but…"

"He's not a werewolf and you don't want to risk a pureblooded wizard getting bitten by the packs," he finished bitterly.

"Remus," said Dumbledore kindly. "If there was literally anyone else we could ask that we trusted, we would. As it is I don't trust anyone to spy except you."

Remus looked up in surprise. "Me?"

"I'm not trying to stroke your ego, Remus. You're a brilliant wizard. I would know, seeing as I was your headmaster. You're loyal as well as an introvert, which makes it easy for you to slip under the radar. If anyone can go undercover to find out what is going on in the Greyback pack it's you."

"Aye, without you Lupin we will have to concede to losing the packs to Voldemort."

Remus rubbed his temples. "Let me think it over. I… this is a lot you are asking of me."

Dumbledore nodded and Moody rolled his eyes. "We can hold another meeting in a week from-"

Both wizards stood knocking their chairs to the ground. They both had wands out and were using both defensive and offensive magic like they were being attacked.

Remus looked around the Shrieking Shack curiously. He had never felt more…

Remus felt his body prickle the same way it did before a transformation. His eyes burned as they changed to lupine and his eyesight changed to what Sirius had dubbed as 'wolf mode.' He could see colors more brightly. All of his senses were…

What was that smell? A mixture of cucumber wash, mint toothpaste… and parchment? Why did such an odd combination smell like… smell like his very soul? Did that even make sense?

Remus felt a howl rip from his throat as he fought to move towards the source of the smell. He needed to-

Did he just howl? Why was he fighting? Where was he?

Why-

Remus looked down to see an openly gaping Albus Dumbledore and Mad-Eye Moody. Wait, why was he looking down at Albus-

Remus sneezed. What was that smell? Why was it buried in his very chest? He stood on his hind legs and sniffed.

He took a step towards the exit of the shack when he felt spells hit him on his flank. He looked back and rolled his eyes. Really? Stupefy is rarely effective on werewolves. Then the horror hit him.

Where was the moon? Better question, why the bloody hell was he a werewolf during the day?

A bright light from behind him burned at his lupine eyes and his disorientation and confusion were shelved as he turned to investigate.

"Merlin, Albus what is that?"

Remus saw a large cyclone of gold dust heading straight for him. He sniffed at it and sneezed again.

"I have no idea, be on your guard."

"How did he shift?"

"I don't know Mad-Eye. I would like to ensure that Mister Lupin doesn't make a mistake he will regret for the rest of his life-"

The rest of their conversation was drowned out as he reached forward to touch the dust and was sucked inside of them. Albus and Mad-Eye rushed forward to help him but they vanished in a flash of millions of pictures and cacophony of voices.

He struggled to fight against the tumbling and thrashing when he was vigorously tossed out of the sands clutches and onto a plush carpet that smelled like broom polish, forest, and wet dog.

He barely felt his body snap back into place and he murmured his confusion as his mind shut down in exhaustion. Just he was about to pass out he heard Lily's familiar voice, "James! The thing just spit out Remus!"

"Will people use the fucking front door and stop destroying my bloody house?!" he heard James bellow just as Lily cradled his head. His wolf allowed him to collapse into her embrace and finally rest.

He was safe.

And so was she.

Hoping everyone is enjoying Tempus Magia, don't forget to drop a comment and let me know what you think! Just a note that this is the first chapter of part two, where Hermione is in the past. Enjoy! - Chefke