Thanks to all who followed, favorited, and reviewed! I am so grateful to know you all seem to enjoy this story. When I first started this fic, I had no idea where it was going to go. It may have taken three years, but I believe that I finally have my hold on it. I am excited for what's to come!
The Lupins and the four time travelers retreated back to the sitting room of The Burrow. James, Sirius, and the younger Remus piled onto the couch, while Lily took her own seat. Older Remus sat on the arm of his wife's chair and scratched his chin in deep thought, a habit his old friends noticed immediately and figured had not faded over time. They remained silent until he began.
"It is a very dangerous time for you all to be in," he said each word carefully, unsure what pieces of their future they could bear to hear. "If any word get out to You-Know-Who or his followers of your existence, it will change everything."
"Can't we just use another time turner? Why haven't we done that already?"
Tonks sighed, "If they weren't all destroyed, we would have."
"Destroyed? Every single one?" Remus asked, wondering what could have happened for the magical artifact to extinct.
"Why not just ask Dumbledore for help?" asked Sirius. His three friends nodded in agreement.
Older Remus shook his head slowly, but it was Tonks who answered, "You must all understand that things have happened since 1977, and well... Dumbledore... he's gone."
"What?" It was younger Remus. His two friends had looks of disbelief, of sadness, and of anger. Lily's green eyes welled up, and she used the sleeve of her borrowed sweater to keep her tear from running down her cheeks.
"There was a battle at Hogwarts several months ago. Death Eaters had infiltrated the castle," Remus continued for his wife.
"Death Eaters?"
"Dark witches and wizards, followers of... He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," said Tonks, "Of course, my dear aunt Bellatrix included, trying to kill me a few times."
Sirius scoffed in disgust, "Bella never was my favorite cousin. Always knew she had it in her."
"Who was it then?" It was James's turn to speak. When both Remus and Tonks did not seem to understand what he was talking about, he repeated, "Who was it that killed Dumbledore?"
The werewolf and the metamorphmagus met each other's eyes, as if conversing in silence. Remus sighed, still facing his wife but adressing the four teens, "A member of the Order of the Phoenix, an organization started by no other than Dumbledore himself aimed to protect the wizarding community." He now looked to each of them and continued, "You may have never heard of the Order before, but you should learn of it soon after graduating from Hogwarts as you will all become members."
"A member? That's all you're gonna tell us?" asked James, frustrated by their cryptic responses. "How do we know one of us won't be the one to do it?"
Lily, Sirius, and Remus turned to their friend, bewildered by his implication, but Tonks assured him, "It will not be any of you. Now, if any, is not the time to start accusing others, your friends especially."
"Is the Order the reason why they die?"
Remus and Tonks whipped their heads to his quiet younger counterpart, not expecting the question or the pain that was clearly etched in his voice. The boy stared up at them, his expression daring them to try and deviate from what he was asking.
"You died while part of the Order, protecting what was good. Great deaths," said Remus in a low voice. The teenagers slowly nodded their heads in understanding.
But Lily could not help it. Unlike herself, her curiousity and her concern got the best of her. She knew there was more the Lupins, and even the Weasleys, were holding from them. Not exactly pity, but their eyes seemed to carry a whole different kind of sadness.
"Please, Remus," said Lily in a voice that was so quiet, older Remus almost doubted that she had even spoken. He was sure of it once she continued, "Please tell us how. Please tell us what happens, how it all turns out like this. I know we didn't exactly land during the safest of times, but why does it seem more dangerous than you are all letting on for You-Know-Who to find out about us?"
"I believe you may already know why, Lily, or at least, some suspicion."
"You-Know-Who kills me, doesn't he?" James spoke.
Remus pinched the bridge of his nose. His wife took hold of his other hand, concern written on her face. She turned to James Potter, noting how much he looked like his son at this moment, during the times when he was waiting for an answer he knew he was finally going to get.
"James Potter and his wife, Lily Evans Potter, were murdered on the 31st of October 1981 by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. We are not able to speak his real name in times like this," Remus sent a pointed look to each of them, though they had no intention to. James and Lily sat staring at one another, while Sirius and Remus both smiled softly.
"Congrats, Mr. and Mrs. Prongs and Prongslet," said Sirius, punching his best friend in an affectionate manner.
Younger Remus joined in, saying, "Congratulations, James, Lily." However, seeing the rest of the grave situation, he then returned to his older self, "May I ask why You-Know-Who targeted the Potters in particular?"
"Well," started Tonks, biting her lip, "James and Lily weren't exactly who he was looking for." After seeing their genuine confusion, the pregnant woman continued, "He was after your son."
"Son? They had a son?" Sirius stood up in outrage. He was always extremely protective of James, considering him more of a brother than his actual biological brother, and the the thought of someone hurting his son was an idea Sirius did not take kindly to.
James was stunned and repeated, "We have a son."
"Harry."
Lily's voice waivered as she said the name. From the twins mistaking James to everyone else refusing to tell them who this mysterious 'Harry' was- there was no denying that it had to be his son, their son. The thought of someone being some part of James and some part of herself warmed Lily's heart, and she smiled, tears again appearing in her eyes but holding a whole new meaning.
"Harry James Potter," said Tonks, grinning.
"Looks exactly like his father," added her husband, "but of course, he has his mother's eyes."
"He does?" asked James, his voice gentle as he looked to Lily and said once more, "He does."
"But why would he want James and Lily's son?" asked younger Remus, his brow furrowed in concern.
"There was a prophecy regarding Harry as the one person who can defeat You-Know-Who," answered Tonks. "He had every intention of killing Harry, but he failed."
"How?" asked Lily.
"You, Lily," said Remus. "You both fought off You-Know-Who, but he couldn't be stopped. He used the Killing Curse on Harry, but it rebounded. It was your love protected him."
"That's unbelievable," said James under his breath.
"Sure is, only person to ever survive it," Tonks said sadly.
Remus took over from his wife, retelling the story of how his frends were betrayed and murdered. "You hid under the Fidelius Charm in the safety of your home at Godric's Hollow. Sirius was originally your secret keeper, but because it had seemed to obvious at the time, you'd decided to use Peter instead and," Remus eyes hardened, his voice contained nothing but malice, "He betrayed you both and outed your location to him. He betrayed all of us."
"No, Wormtail?" James's face flushed of all color. He was truly hurt and did not want to believe that the timid boy he had dormed with in the last seven years had sold him out, but the truth was in the way Remus had turned cold at the mere mention of him.
"Few people knew of the change, myself not included, and once You-Know-Who had arrived at your home, Sirius was believed to have been the one to do it. Sirius confronted Peter, but the rat framed Sirius, killing a dozen muggles and turning into his rat form. Sirius was sent to Azkaban."
"I'm going to kill that rat," growled Sirius. "After all we've done for him as his friends, he goes ahead behind our backs."
"During my term at Hogwarts, word came that you had broken out of Azkaban after twelve years-the first to do so-and it was thought that you were looking to murder Harry. By the end of the year, we discovered that you were actually hunting Peter after you'd recognized him in his Animagus form as the Weasley's pet rat. He had been hiding all along."
"Sneaky bastard," mumbled Sirius.
"So what happened to Sirius? Was his name cleared?"
Remus shook his name and said to his younger self, "Peter escaped that night.. I'd forgotten about the moon due to all the commotion and nearly injured the children-"
"Which they understood and have entirely forgiven," interrupted his wife, placing her palm on his cheek.
Remus sighed, feeling a bit of guilt after these many years, but continued, "I resigned, and Sirius went into hiding for the next year until Dumbledore reformed the Order after You-Know-Who rose once more and nobody believed it. Sirius, you were killed at the Department of Mysteries, the night he finally revealed himself to the rest of the world."
"By Bellatrix Lestrange, no surprise there," Tonks scoffed.
Lily gasped, "How could he have possibly managed to come back from death?"
"We don't know," Tonks replied, "But he is back and more powerful. He has taken control over the Wizarding World, over the Ministry, over Hogwarts-"
"Hogwarts?" interrupted James, "The kids?"
"The children have been forced to return to school. As much as Molly and Arthur refused to send their daughter, Ginny, off, they had no choice."
"And Harry? He should be of age, shouldn't he?" asked a worried Lily, worried for a son she had never met, much less have any clue about.
Tonks spoke, understanding the girl's concern, "He just turned 17 and should be in his Seventh Year, like you lot, but.. he has been on the run."
"So where is my son now?" James referring to his son surprised even himself, but stayed on the subject.
"We're not sure," said Remus, apologetically, "Last I've seen him was a few months back, just as he was beginning the mission Dumbledore had left him."
"But he isn't alone," Tonks reassured, "He has Ron, the Weasley's son, and Hermione, brightest witch of her time. They can handle themselves."
"But up against You-Know-Who?" James's voice began to rise, willing himself not to let his temper get the best of him, "They're 17, just kids!"
"We were only 17 and fresh out of Hogwarts when we joined the Order," Remus told him, "And Harry, Ron, and Hermione have gone against You-Know-Who and more than all of us combined. Dumbledore trusted him with this mission, and he knew the trio was capable of accomplishing it, whatever it may be."
"So our only option now is to hide out here?" asked Sirius. As terrible as his future sounded, he would rather live it out during his own time period. "For how long?"
"Until we can acquire another time turner," responded Tonks, "We've contacted Professor McGonagall, but she will need more time to find an excuse to leave with You-Know-Who taking over. I'll also check with Kingsley to see if he has anything left on hand from our time at the Ministry."
"You work for the Ministry?" Sirius browed shot up in surprise. He'd forgotten that his cousin was now an adult, with what seemed to be an adult job at the Ministry of Magic. "I don't see you as one for a desk job."
"Well, it's not exactly a desk job," Tonks grinned, "I'm an Auror, or was before this full-blown war started. Fairly new to the business. Kingsley happened to be my senior."
"An Auror?" She could swear Sirius's eyes nearly fell out of his head. Sirius nudged James, "Prongs, looks like she beat us to it."
"I almost forgot you two were going to be Aurors together," reminisced Remus.
"And it looks like you've gone and married yourself one, mate," said James, particularly to the younger Remus. They all laughed.
Tonks spared a glance at her wrist. "Is it really noon already?" she asked more to herself, then turned to her husband, "Mum will be worried sick."
"How is Andromeda?" Sirius spoke, curious as to how his favorite Black cousin could be after twenty years. The last he saw her had been during the summer, at least in the summer of their own time when she was a fairly new mother. Sirius instantly regretted his question, after seeing the sad look on Tonks's face.
Instead, her husband answered for, placing his hand on her shoulder, "With all the current pureblood antics, Ted felt it was safer for him to go into hiding. He's been on the run now with some other Muggleborns."
"That's terrible," expressed Lily. She had always bren susceptible to the horrible treatment Muggleborns received, but she could not imagine how bad the circumstances must be for one to leave their friends and family.
Sirius frowned and told the metamorphmagus, "I'm sorry, Nymph. I'm sure he's fine."
"It's been hard. Mum's in worse shape," replied Tonks, but gave a thankful grin to her cousin. "Anyway, we should get going before she throws a fit. We'll see you all again soon."
The four time travelers said their goodbyes, then the Lupins were off.
Remus and Tonks returned home and were met at the door by a worried Andromeda Tonks. She quickly shut the door behind them, her hands immediately on her hips. "Where have you been? You both left without so much telling me where or for what reason," she said. While they were grown adults, Remus and Tonks felt as little as children.
"We had Order business at The Burrow," answered Tonks, silently pleading her husband for support. He nodded, but did not dare to add on.
"What is going on?" Andromeda motioned for them to take a seat in the sitting room. Three cups were already set, charmed to stay warm. She had obviously been waiting for their return. Her expression turned into one of grave concern, "Is there news about your father, Nymphadora?"
Tonks shook her head, placing her hand over her mother's. "As far as we know, he is still on the run."
"Then what is it?"
Tonks bit her lip, hoping her husband would take over. Remus saw his cue and told his mother-in-law, "Last night, we came across four individuals at The Burrow."
Remus explained the story as best as he could, including who the four people were and how they arrived in 1997. Andromeda let him speak, waiting until he had finished to ask her own questions.
"But why now? Why twenty years into the future?"
Remus sighed, "That is something we do not know. It seems as those the time turner Sirius had in possession may have been set that far into the future, and now that it's broken, they have no way of returning."
"Sirius, James and Lily Potter, as well as yourself, Remus, are currently in our present time from the year 1977?" While she could believe that this could have all been done with a time turner, Andromeda needed a bit more time to process the group of people who were now suddenly living and the thought of a double of her son-in-law. However, the couple who sat in front of her showed no sign of any humor involved. They simply waited for her to realize the truth in their words.
"May I see them?" Andromeda met the eyes of her daughter's husband, trying to convey the need to see her cousin through her dark eyes. Remus could only nod, seeing that his wife was doing the same. They both knew that a giant hole had been left in her heart as a result of Ted's departure, and they both hoped seeing Sirius, her favorite cousin, once more would fill at least a fraction of the gap.
Lily walked into the living room of The Burrow, where Mrs. Weasley was knitting what looked to be a sweater. She glanced at the odd clock that was situated on the wall in a corner of the room, which she had first noticed earlier during their talk with Remus and Tonks. She observed it, silently noting that it did not contain numbers but names. She counted nine names, and all were pointed to MORTAL PERIL.
"In times like this, it is no surprise," said Mrs. Weasley, who continued with her knitting. Lily smiled at the matron, taking a seat in the chair across from her. She watched as the older woman sighed, "I just wish all my children could be home."
Lily found the hands of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley on the clock, as well as the the twins'. She recognized the names 'Bill', the Weasley son they had met the night before, 'Ginny' was their daughter who was stuck at Hogwarts, and the name 'Ron', who was apparently currently on the run with her son. Harry.
Lily chose not to probe any further and diverted the conversation quickly. "What are you knitting?" she asked, hoping to lift the tension.
"Jumpers," Mrs. Weasley brightened, "Nice and warm. Christmas in a month, and I like to get all of them before then."
Lily touched the wool fabric, admiring the familiar emerald green shade, on the front was a giant letter 'H'. "Harry?" she asked, feeling her heart skip a little. According to Remus, emerald green were the color of her son's eyes. Her eyes.
Molly Weasley gave the younger redheaded a big grin, holding the girl's cheek in her hand. Lily felt a sense of gratitude for this woman. She knew her son was well cared for, if not by his own parents than by the Weasleys.
"That boy has been through more than I can imagine, but he has a good head on his shoulders," said Mrs. Weasley, chuckling.
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," said Lily, truly grateful for those words.
Just Ron! I know some of you wanted to see the whole trio, but I wanted to stick to canon as closely as possible. Hope you all enjoyed! Be expecting these updates weekly :)
