The Lost, The Damned and The Potters.
Chapter 2
Lily woke up in a long dark room, moonlight streaming in through great arched windows. The room was vaguely familiar.
She looked to her left to find a series of white sheeted beds set at intervals towards the far wall, with small cabinets beside them and strange wheeled trays that looked like they were meant to reach over onto the bed.
Realisation hit her like a brick, 'I'm in the Hogwarts Hospital Wing'.
Looking to her right she found there was only one bed between her and the wall of the matron's office, the occupant had a familiar crow's nest on their head.
"James?" she whispered.
She climbed unsteadily out of her bed and went over to the occupied bed, finding it was indeed her husband sound asleep.
"James," she whispered, shaking him, "James, wake up," she repeated, louder this time.
"Huh… hmmh … What?" James mumbled as he was woken up, he rolled over in the bed to find himself staring into the green eyes of his wife, "Lily!"
"Oh James!" Lily exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her husband, and crying into his shoulder, "You're alive."
"We're alive," James corrected, circling his own arms around his wife. "Wait? Do you have Harry?"
"No, I…" she froze suddenly then twisted in James' grip looking around frantically to see if any other beds were occupied or a cot was set up next to one, "Harry!"
"Now really," both Potters looked around to see Madame Pomfrey in the doorway of her office in a nightgown, bathrobe, fuzzy slippers and hair net, "There is no need to be so loud at this time of night."
"Poppy!" Lily exclaimed, "What happened? How'd we get here? Where's Harry? Is he hurt?"
"Not sure, you were brought up from the Chamber of Secrets three hours ago after you arrived down there, in his dorm either sleeping or hiding from his girlfriend and physically no," Poppy replied in order, casting a few charms and grabbing a pair of dreamless sleep and calming potions.
"Chamber of Secrets? That's a myth," James exclaimed as Lily said "Dorm? Girlfriend? He's ONE how could he have a girlfriend?"
"A lot has happened in the past four hours, you will be told everything in the morning, for now, sleep. Harry is perfectly safe and you will see him tomorrow," Poppy continued handing both one of each potion. "Now, drink both of these and get back to bed, you both need your rest."
The couple looked mutinously at the matron but complied when the older woman wouldn't back down, Lily drank her potions as she walked over to her bed. Within seconds both were asleep and the ward was silent again.
In another part of the castle, another Potter woke to a terrible phantom pain followed by a gut feeling he might be walking to the gallows come sunrise.
"I'm in SO much trouble" Harry mumbled to himself, the Minister for Magic himself had lectured Harry on the dangers of Time-Travel an hour after he returned, but had said that he'd leave the punishment to Professor McGonagall as, despite tearing the Temporal Accords in half, he hadn't actually changed history therefore they had no grounds on which to officially punish him.
"You have no idea," a sleepy but clearly annoyed female voice replied, making Harry jump a foot in the air and land in a heap on the floor.
"Do you have ANY idea how I felt as you went through that portal?" the black haired girl asked, tears welling up in her storm grey eyes, "Do you have any idea what it was like waiting for you, knowing that you might never return?"
"No," Harry replied honestly, "I can't."
"Then why did you do it?" She asked him, "Why did you put me through that?"
"My greatest desire has always been to know my family, since I learned they were trussed for slaughter I've sought a way to save my parents, after learning my parent's bodies were never found I came to the conclusion that if I could send them forward through time the moment before the curse took them I could save them but not change history," Harry said, trying to explain but looking down ashamed as he answered her second question, "I didn't mean to hurt you, but I knew you would try to stop me."
Serina just watched him as he refused to look at her, trying to make sense of everything she was feeling, "You could have gotten yourself killed."
"That could have happened during any full moon this year," Harry retorted, still not looking up and missing the pained look cross Serina's face.
"I came up with a plan that meant I wouldn't be in the house during the attack, therefore if my plan failed history would follow its course," Harry continued, "If I failed… then it wouldn't matter, I would just have to accept their gone forever."
"Oh Harry," Serina whispered, she climbed off the bed and sat next to him and pulled him close.
"Why are you here?" Harry asked, wondering why she stayed with him, after everything he did tonight… any other girl would have left him.
"You're my boyfriend," she said, her reply muffled slightly as her face was buried in his neck, "despite everything, I couldn't stay mad when I saw you hurting. I didn't want you to be alone tonight."
"You deserve someone better than me," Harry mumbled, "someone who won't scare by putting himself in danger, who will always be…"
"Stop!" Serina ordered, "I may deserve someone better, but you are the one my heart belongs to." She sighed and rested her chin on his shoulder, "I love you Harry."
"I love you too, Serina," Harry whispered back, twisting around to give her a quick kiss, before climbing back into bed, Serina settling down beside him.
Harry next woke up to a heavy, silky weight on his chest; he opened his eyes to find Serina using him as a pillow.
"Morning," he said as she started moving around.
"Morning, Serina mumbled, lifting her head and brushing her hair out of her face.
Harry finally looked around at his surroundings, "This isn't my dorm, where are we?"
"Gryffindor Head's dorm," Serina replied, getting up and stretching.
"I'm for the gallows, aren't I?" Harry asked, more than a little afraid.
"I won't allow that," Serina said firmly, "although if you're made to shovel hippogriff dung, you're on your own."
"Great," Harry muttered as he got up, "I guess I'll see you in the common room or the hall."
Serina gave him a quick kiss, "See you at breakfast," she said and left to get showered and changed.
Harry got up and went down to his own dorm, wondering whether he'd actually succeeded last night and what would happen today.
Three floors below in the Hospital wing, another Potter was wondering almost the same things as Madame Pomfrey performed a thorough examination of both young adults.
As Pomfrey stepped away from the beds to examine the parchment with the results, Lily turned to her husband, "What do you last remember?"
James looked out the window thoughtfully, "I was reading as you went to check on Harry, when I saw a cloaked figure pass the window. I jumped up just as the door was blown open. I tried to stop HIM, but you know my wandless skills aren't like yours or Remus', then there was a lot of green light and the next thing I remember is lying on a cold, wet stone floor and I passed out. Then you woke me up here," he said, trying to remember everything from the previous (to him) night.
"When I heard the explosion, I tried to escape using the stuffed stag portkey, but it was sabotaged," Lily said, James' face darkened but she continued, "I stayed in front of Harry when HE came into the room, he told me to step aside… I refused, several times. Then he fired that curse and all I remember after that is green light, and then I felt cold while lying on a wet stone floor and then darkness," she finished, before looking over at Madame Pomfrey, "I hope Harry's ok," she whispered.
"Poppy said he's fine," James whispered back and went to hug her but pulled back immediately when they both felt a small metallic object on their chests hanging from a chain around their necks.
They pulled the chains and brought the small objects out of their jumpers and examined them in their hands, "Is that a Time Turner?" James asked.
"A cannibalized version, yes," Lily replied, carefully examining the small brass instrument: it lacked the second gyroscopic ring, the handle and the outer stabilising ring as well as lacking a full load of Time sand but it was otherwise unmistakeably a Time Turner like the one she'd used in her third, fourth and fifth years at Hogwarts, but she spotted something on the rings, "are those… Runes?" she asked, James' eyes widened as he noticed the very fine script engraved into the delicate instrument.
"So that's how he did it?" said a familiar voice, apparently amused by their discovery.
"Professor Dumbledore," the two adults said as they saw the man, who was watching them from a spot ten feet away, his eyes twinkling madly as he took in the primitive but functional devices.
"How are they Poppy?" Dumbledore asked the matron, knowing perfectly well his authority ended at the door.
"Physically fine, there is some magical exhaustion but that should clear up by tomorrow morning, as long as they refrain from strenuous activity," she informed the headmaster, glaring at James at the end who looked sheepish from the memory of the last time he ignored that order.
"Excellent, I need to bring them up to date, if I may?" Dumbledore responded.
"You may, but I will want to see them both before they leave," the matron replied and went back to her office.
"Now, I must say it is wonderful to see you two up and about again," Dumbledore said happily to the couple in front of him, "however, much has changed since you were last here, so I must ask you what you think is the date?"
"What do you mean? If we've been asleep less than 12 hours then it's the first of November 1981," James said, Lily nodded in agreement.
"Just as I thought," Dumbledore mumbled, "It is not November 1981, it is actually May the 15th 1994," he said, patiently waiting as the two young adults in front of him stared in disbelief.
"1994?" James whispered as Lily suddenly buried her face in his neck and started to cry, "But… what about Harry? What Happened?" his voice rising as panic began to take over.
"Calm yourselves," Dumbledore said, holding up his hand, "Harry survived that night, and each night since, he is in fact a student now."
"Harry's a student? But How?" Lily whispered, looking at the headmaster.
"Harry survived that Halloween, but you were never seen again, either dead or alive so you were announced missing-presumed dead, and I arranged for Harry to be raised by your sister and her family," Dumbledore began to explain but was cut off by a scream from Lily.
"YOU SENT HIM TO PETUNIA!" she screamed, deathly afraid of what her sister might have done.
"The biggest mistake I have made in thirty years," Dumbledore admitted, 'Letting you two choose your secret keeper is a close second however.'
"Petunia may not have treated Harry with much love, but she did take him in, feed him, clothe him," Dumbledore said.
"Probably her son's hand-me-downs," James muttered, but stopped when he saw the look in Dumbledore's eyes, "She didn't?"
"Unfortunately that was the case," Dumbledore admitted, looking even older than most thought was humanly possible/healthy. "However, after an incident involving her husband's sister Harry was removed from their custody by the Minister himself and for the past six months I have been attempting to get custody transferred to Remus Lupin."
"Remus? But Sirius is Harry's godfather?" Lily questioned.
"Sirius was believed to still be your secret keeper as everyone else who knew was dead or otherwise incapacitated, Sirius was blamed for your deaths as well as the murder of Peter Pettigrew and twelve muggles," Dumbledore continued.
James could only stare in shock, "No, Sirius wouldn't do that, maybe Peter but not the muggles," Lily whispered.
"Until 72 hours ago, I believed this was the case, as did Remus and as does most of the British wizarding community, I myself testified against him in a preliminary hearing, he was sentenced to life in Azkaban…" he attempted to continue but was cut off again.
"AZKABAN? No it wasn't him…"
"I know it wasn't, thanks to Harry and Sirius' daughter Serina, they felt that Sirius' betrayal was out of character unless your entire friendship was an act so they set out to determine what happened. Together they found Sirius had not been tried or convicted and that there was no conclusive evidence or interrogation records, the current head of the DMLE is investigating," Dumbledore began again.
"HE WASN'T TRIED! What does Crouch think he's doi… Wait?" James looked up to face Dumbledore, "Sirius has a daughter?"
"Yes, Serina Marlene Black was born shortly before Harry and Marlene McKinnon went into hiding from everyone in fear of Sirius' family. I sadly played a part in Sirius' incarceration as I sent Hagrid to the house to check for survivors with strict orders to bring anyone left alive to a safe house in Cardiff, Sirius arrived roughly as Hagrid did and attempted to take Harry, Hagrid refused informing Sirius of my orders, after several minutes Sirius gave in and gave Hagrid his motorbike for him to use to get Harry to safety. He then went after Peter," Dumbledore explained.
James groaned loudly as Lily took his hand and gently squeezed it.
"They met in a muggle street in Manchester, words were exchanged where Peter loudly blamed Sirius for betraying you which was followed by an explosion that claimed twelve muggles and we assumed Peter, the most we found was a single finger,"
"One finger?" James asked, to which Dumbledore nodded.
"Harry pointed out that given the size of the explosion and the nature of explosions in general, a single neatly cut finger wouldn't be left behind, something that even I didn't notice until a few days ago, Sirius was arrested and sent to Azkaban. He broke out last August," Dumbledore continued.
"Sirius escaped? Wow, only he's crazy enough to try that," James said.
"He broke out because he recognised Peter's animagus form in a photo in the Daily Prophet, living as a student's pet, so he planned his escape in order to kill Peter and protect Harry, unfortunately his chosen methods didn't not help his claim of innocence," Dumbledore continued, again interrupted by a loud groan from James.
"He managed to capture Peter three nights ago but was cornered by Harry, Serina and their friends; Remus arrived shortly after and attempted to expose Peter but was stopped by Severus…"
"Snape? What does he have to do with this?" James asked.
"He is teaching here, he is the Potions Master. Now, Severus captured Remus and attempted to take Sirius directly to the Dementors," He stopped as the couple gasped and paled considerably, "Harry and Serina stunned Severus, freed Remus and got him and Sirius expose Peter."
"Unfortunately, the Full Moon rose as they tried to bring Peter up to the castle (Oh Merlin!), Peter escaped in the confusion caused by Remus' transformation and Harry and Sirius' efforts to get Remus away from the others and the school," Dumbledore continued.
"Wait, Harry's efforts? He's an Animagus?" James asked as his wife looked confused by that and Sirius' part.
"Yes, it seems he is a natural and has had complete control since his first accidental transformation during the Animagus Transfiguration class, Sirius however became one behind everyone's back during his school years," Dumbledore explained innocently, his eyes twinkling madly as James tried very hard to ignore his wife's questioning gaze.
"After driving Remus into the forest, the Dementors descended on the pair and they were captured. Harry and his friends were brought here while Sirius was locked in a cell on the West tower, using a Time Turner Harry and his friends rescued Sirius before he could be given the Kiss," Dumbledore continued, smiling as the couple in front of him sighed in relief or silently celebrated.
"Two nights ago, Harry acquired that Time Turner after researching an old Ritual that would allow him to travel through the Time Stream itself into the past, with it he began to engineer a plan to save you both by using one-use copies of that Time Turner to send you forwards in time the moment the killing curse struck you," Dumbledore stopped, watching uncertainty then realisation dawn on the couple's faces.
"Harry saved us?" Lily whispered.
Dumbledore nodded, "It seems that Petunia denied him any knowledge of you, even going so far as to desecrate your memory in front of him on a regular basis, once he learned even a fraction of the truth his greatest desire was and is to have both you in his life. To that end he came up with his plan, but designed it so there was no direct interference, if it failed History would be more or less unaltered," Dumbledore continued, finally approaching the end of his long explanation.
"As it is… it worked," Dumbledore ended simply, adding "although I did hear that Harry is dreading meeting you, after all, your temper is famous, Lily, and he is understandably afraid of your reaction to him after breaking the Temporal Accord."
Lily DID look rather cross about that, but James broke into laughter as her love for her son won out over her natural instinct to scold him for shattering one of the most important laws in the whole Wizarding world.
"Wait? Harry broke the Temporal Accord and ISN'T being punished?" Lily asked.
"Love, Dumbledore already said we were listed as missing not killed that night, by saving us Harry didn't change History, they CAN'T punish him," James pointed out.
Lily's jaw dropped, but she then turned to James with a mischievous grin, "Well, that stunt he pulled just blew EVERYTHING the marauders have done away."
James nearly fell off his bed in shock as Lily and Dumbledore laughed.
"When can we see Harry?" Lily asked as James got settled again.
"After Poppy releases you, I will have Remus take you to him," Dumbledore replied, moving toward the door
"Wait! When I went to check on the back door when it opened, I thought I saw someone in the kitchen," Lily said suddenly, remembering that small detail, "a ghostly shadow that looked like you, James, I reached out my hand and it disappeared."
James frowned, "When I was reading a few hours after that, I could have sworn there was someone behind me, and when I checked the Ward Stones in the garden I was sure someone ran out of the house and jumped the wall of the orchard across the road."
"Harry has some explaining to do," Lily said as Poppy returned.
Harry was on his way down to the Great Hall with Serina, Ron, Hermione and Neville when they heard someone crying in a broom cupboard. The five stopped and went to the cupboard, hearing a young girl, they tried to open the door but found that it had been hit by a 'Colluportus'. Harry eventually got it open with Neville's help and a quill transfigured into a five foot pry bar.
Inside they found a small, blonde haired Ravenclaw second year that Harry and Neville had met and befriended on the train. "Luna?"
Harry and Neville tried to go into the cupboard, but were met by a horrifying sight in the darkness; Harry saw the body of his mother lying in the darkness just beyond Luna, her emerald eyes dull and glassy, her hair sheeting her cheek, her pale skin now unnaturally so, her mouth open in an echo of her last terrible pleas. Neville saw his father writhing under the 'Cruciatus' curse, his limbs sporadically jerking involuntarily, his face contorted in agony, silent screams leaving his mouth.
Both missed their names being called twice as tears streaked down their faces, after a few moments a part of Harry's brain restarted and he pulled both Neville and Luna out of the cupboard on autopilot before collapsing in a heap against the wall as his brain struggled to process the image now burned into his mind.
"Harry?" faintly he heard someone call his name, "Harry!" it was louder this time so he looked up, Serina was crouching in front of him, "It's just a hex Harry, it's not real, she's fine, your father too," She said comfortingly to him.
She slipped her arms around him and pulled her close to comfort him, Hermione doing the same to Luna as Ron talked to Neville to bring him round.
After a few minutes, the three had recovered fairly well, at least well enough to become aware of their surroundings, "Are you alright Luna?" Neville asked as he picked himself up.
Luna just shook in Hermione's arms and continued to do so for several minutes, in which time at least thirty other Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students passed, not one went to find a teacher or the matron, in fact several Ravenclaws laughed, a handful including the Ravenclaw Seeker Cho Chang looked furious.
"We've got a problem," Ron stated, frowning at Chang and her friends who were now whispering to each other.
"This time there'll be blood," Harry growled, he'd known about Luna being bullied for most of the year and had been watching from the shadows ready to step in, but this was now far beyond a sick joke, this was torture. He'd done everything he could to help her and most of her tormentors had backed off but there were still a few that managed to avoid targeted retaliation, and their attacks on Luna had become steadily more viscous as a result.
"Luna, who did this?" Neville asked gently, kneeling beside the now calmer girl.
Luna mumbled something, "Luna this is beyond a joke, these b – "Harry!" – are getting off on torturing you, I WILL NOT LET THIS CONTINUE! If you don't tell me so I can deal with them now, I'll inform the DMLE and use your position as Heiress of an Ancient and Noble House to get them arrested and jailed, I'd rather not force you through that but this is no longer a game THIS IS WAR!" Harry snapped, with the way wild magic whipped around him in a vortex everyone but Hermione was reminded of their grandparent's warnings about hacked off Potters.
Luna took several deep breaths and mumbled the names into Hermione's shoulder, Hermione and Neville's scowls becoming more pronounced with each name.
"Chang… Edgecombe… Tulse… Urquart… Doe," Neville began repeating the names but Harry stormed off at the third, growling to Hermione to take Luna to the Hospital wing as he headed for the staircase, Neville and Serina following him.
The castle itself seemed wary of his wrath or perhaps wanted to see justice wrought on the bullies that had plagued the halls for too long, the walls and doors that would rearrange on a weekly basis seemed to move from his path, when he reached the stairs the many flights shifted to present a clear unobstructed path to the ground level and the Great Hall. Many of the occupants of the portraits that lined the Grand Staircase abandoned their frames as one Royally PO'D Potter passed even knocking a few askew with the wild magi swirling around him, a sight that drew the attention of three people who had just been stranded on the first floor landing.
There were several groups of students milling about in the entrance hall, but they quickly scattered as Harry passed, but not before checking the crowd of faces for his targets, finding none he continued to the Great Hall where he found all five with their heads together, apparently plotting, at an unusually clear Ravenclaw table.
Harry strode along the table and stood behind the five girls, eerily reminiscent of Snape, and waited.
It was about a minute before Jane Doe noticed the silence in the hall and looked up, she paled dramatically and her eyes widen to the size of Galleons as she tugged on Emily Tulse's sleeve, who had a similar reaction, by then Minerva Urquart had also noticed and leaned as far away from Harry as her seat allowed, eventually Cho Chang and Marietta Edgecombe stopped when they voiced an idea to the others but got no answer.
The pair turned round and both flinched away on seeing Harry but Chang schooled her face into a neutral expression and Edgecombe tried to sneer but her fear made her look very unintimidating, to the point that if everyone else wasn't afraid of the wild magic now surrounding Harry they would have laughed.
Chang and Edgecombe's efforts to put on a brave front came to an abrupt end at the single word that left Harry's mouth, in a tone that promised such painful retribution that even Snape felt sorry for them.
"Why?"
