World Enough and Time – Chapter Ten
Meddling with Time
For the second time in his life Harry Potter was going to break into the Department of Mysteries.
He could still hear Teddy's words as clearly as though his godson were standing next to him repeating them. If we know when and where it happened, we can go back and change it. Lily will never have been gone. It's this or nothing at all. The only way they could go back and change things was with a time turner, and the only place Harry could get his hands on a time turner was in the Department of Mysteries. There was no more time for plans to be made or decisions to be questioned.
He stepped swiftly away from the room behind him in which Pansy Parkinson still sat in her dazed state. The effects of the veritaserum would wear off soon and then it was only a matter of time before Harry found himself on the other side of an interrogation. He moved quickly through the vacant corridors of the lower levels of the Ministry, his stride determined and his adrenaline starting to kick in.
I've already broken the law once today, he thought, and I may have just lost myself my job. All that was left to lose was Lily and Harry was not going to let that happen.
When he reached the end of a particularly grimy hallway he peered cautiously around the corner to make sure that he was still alone. There was no one in sight. He hurried quickly to the left until he found the staircase he was looking for and braced himself before he flung open the large black door that blocked his path.
"Dad!"
Harry's pulse sped up and turned quickly, his wand flying up instinctively. When he recognized James – who looked out of breath and disheveled – he relaxed, but only slightly.
"Dad, what are you doing?" James jogged the rest of the way down the hall, his cheeks pink and his hair sticking up in every direction.
"James, you can't be here," Harry told him quickly, ignoring James's question. He ran a hand through his scruffy hair in agitation. "What are you doing down here?"
"Looking for you," James told him. "We all wanted to know what you'd found out. I thought you were still investigating Parkinson so I checked there first but the room was empty – "
"Already?"
James's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I just met her in the corridor, she went running past me like a mad woman and I thought something had happened to you – "
"James – "
"Dad, what's going on? Did you find anything out from her – "
"James, I don't have time – "
"You've done something, haven't you."
There was a brief silence between them. James's suspicion was evident all over his face and Harry did not have time to assuage him. He had to get to the Department of Mysteries before the Aurors reached him. There was nothing for it but to tell his son the truth, even if that meant getting him into trouble as well. If everything went according to plan… none of this would happen anyway. Or at least, he thought so.
He put his hands firmly on James's shoulders and looked him directly in the eye. They were almost exactly the same height. "James," he began urgently, "I need to get to the place in the Department of Mysteries where they keep the time turners. You were just there – can you show me?"
James furrowed his brow for a moment, his jaw clenched. "I – we – the entire department is a maze. They blindfolded us when we went down there, I don't – "
Harry closed his eyes and gripped James's shoulders a little more tightly. Aurors behind and a maze ahead, he thought grimly. He needed a time turner, there was no negotiating that, but it would be no simple matter getting there. "I'm going down there," he said, opening his eyes to look at James. "I have to try, for Lily."
"Then I'm going with you."
Harry paused only a moment before nodding.
"Though, I really don't know the way," James added.
Harry smiled grimly. "Then this will be something of an adventure, won't it?"
Harry peered cautiously around the corner at a door leading directly into the Department of Mysteries, his wand aimed surreptitiously at the taller of two security wizards blocking their way. The two guards were chatting idly, their stances relaxed, their wands not drawn. James was behind him, his own wand gripped in his fist.
"Stupefy," Harry whispered and a jet of red shot straight to its target. The wizard it struck crumpled instantly where he stood, unconscious. His partner stood rigid in shock, his mouth hanging open comically and his eyebrows up somewhere in the vicinity of his hairline. Harry watched as he drew his wand and looked around frantically.
Before Harry had the chance to fire off another spell a streak of red light shot out from behind him and the second guard fell like his companion. Harry turned to see James lowering his wand. He held back a satisfied smirk.
"Well let's go then," Harry said. He jogged over to the now unguarded door and worked quickly to unlock it. It took some work but after a few minutes and some quiet, muttered spell-work the door swung open, its sleek dark wood silent as it moved.
Harry instantly recognized the room they entered next. It was circular, the walls lined with tall wooden doors and torches. There was a eerie blue glow in the air. When Harry and James entered the door behind them closed and Harry braced himself for what was coming. The walls around the two of them spun rapidly, the doors blurring together into one dark smear around the room. He kept his wand ready. Beside him James too was holding his wand but his eyes were closed, his jaw clenched, and he looked as if he might be sick.
Eventually the spinning stopped and Harry and James were faced with the choice of which door to open first.
"Which one?" James asked quietly, still looking a little green.
Harry shook his head and said, "Only one way to find out." He walked straight ahead to one of the doors, opened it. He looked in to find himself standing on the edge of the universe. The scene that stretched out before him momentarily stunned him. Behind him James let out a low whistle.
"They don't joke about the mystery part, do they?"
The two stood motionless for a moment, gaping at the magnificent room – was it a room? – before them as a comet streaked past behind what Harry assumed was Saturn. The seconds ticked by silently before Harry shook himself back to reality and stepped away from the edge.
"Hold the door," he said urgently to James and walked back into the circular room. He muttered a quick spell to turn the door a brilliant shade of orange before nodding to his son. James released his hold and stepped away. As soon as the door was closed the room began to spin again.
The next door they tired led to a chamber containing a large aquatic tank filled with brains. The chamber was lined with doors and desks. Harry quickly pulled his son, who was looking oddly dazed, away from the entrance and shut the door after turning it a bright shade of purple
"But, Dad, the brains…," James protested as the room spun around them.
"Trust me," he murmured, "you don't want to go near those."
The third door proved to be the correct one.
"This is it," James whispered and Harry nodded. He recognized the room before him. It was, just as he remembered, filled to the brim with all manner of strange artifacts. As the two Potters made their way cautiously into the room Harry turned to his son.
"Do you know which way the time turners are?" Harry asked, looking around as if expecting to see a sign pointing in the right direction.
James studied the room around him and nodded. "This way," he said shakily and pointed off to the right.
The walk was short and a moment later they reached a set of towering shelves covered in tiny shimmering hourglasses. Harry stared up at them, his heart pounding in his chest, the prospect of seeing Lily again only slightly stronger than the panic at what he was about to do.
"Dad?" James asked, worry evident in his voice. Harry ignored him and reached out a hand to grab one of the time turners. "Dad."
Harry turned towards his son, his hand clasped around the tiny glass object but not removing it from the shelf.
"Dad, you can't be serious. You're really going to steal from the Department of Mysteries? What… what are you going to do?"
But Harry could see in his face that he already knew. He ran his free hand through his hair. "You heard Teddy. And he was right."
"Dad – "
Harry shook his head. "He was right. The only way to get Lily back is to stop her from leaving at all."
James visibly swallowed. "You're going to go back to – to weeks ago when Lily disappeared to change the whole time line? You heard Aunt Hermione, terrible things happen to wizards who meddle with – "
"I know!" Harry snapped, more loudly than he intended. Finally he pulled the time turner from the shelf. "But there are no other options! These only take you one way!" He shook the time turner at James, who flinched as the sand tumbled dangerously in its glass casing. "If a time turner took Lily where she went, she can't come back. And I won't accept that! I'd do anything to change it!"
There was a brief pause before James nodded stiffly. "I know. Dad, I want Lily back too, you know I'd do anything to get her back. But if you go back and stop Lily leaving, then there would be no reason for you to have gone back at all and so… what will happen to you?"
Harry sighed shakily.
"I don't know," he said quietly. "I don't know what happens when you change something. But it doesn't matter. Not if we get Lily back."
At that moment Harry saw something move out of the corner of his eye, heard a small sound somewhere in the room. He quickly pulled James around into the shadows behind him and clasped his wand more tightly. At the far end of the row in front of him two wizards appeared, their red Auror robes visible even from where he stood.
"Harry Potter," one of the Aurors called out loudly. Harry recognized the voice of Anthony Jordon, one of the recently promoted trainees. "You are under arrest for illegal administration of a protected potion, unprovoked attack on Ministry officials, and breaking and entering into the Department of Mysteries. Lay your wand on the ground and step forward slowly."
Lily's words met a heavy silence. She felt her cheeks warm up but refused to lower her eyes lest she look guilty or untruthful. The only trouble was figuring out who to look at, for absolutely everyone in the room (everyone conscious anyway) was looking directly at her.
The eyes of her grandparents, of Ron and Ginny, of Tonks and Aunt Fleur were all shocked and reproachful. Remus's gaze was particularly harsh and Lily looked away from him quickly. Harry's face was stoic, expressionless, his posture stiff as he stared at her. Lily felt extremely out of sorts.
She held in a strangled sigh and wished that someone would say something. She had told them she was from the future and all they could do was stare at her. It was highly unnerving.
After what seemed like an eternity to Lily a skeptical, humorless laugh broke the uncomfortable silence and all eyes turned to Ginny. She was standing with her arms crossed and rolled her eyes. "Right," she said scathingly. "You're from the future."
Lily frowned. "I – but I am – "
A hand fell on her shoulder and Lily turned to see Professor McGonagall standing directly behind her. "A word, please," the professor insisted quietly and Lily could easily tell that McGonagall was not to be argued with at the moment. But she tried anyway.
"But, Professor, please tell them – "
"Now is not the time," McGonagall told her with a stern glare. Her expression softened briefly and Lily jumped at the moment of weakness. She spun around fully so that she was facing the future Headmistress and spoke directly to her.
"Why not now?" she demanded stubbornly. "After everything that's happened tonight do you really think it will make much difference?"
"Meddling with time is not to be taken lightly, Potter!" Lily heard gasps cries of disbelief from the people behind her but she did not look away from Professor McGonagall. Swallowing the lump forming in her throat Lily clenched her fists and argued back.
"Meddling with time!" Lily exclaimed heatedly, well aware that all eyes in the Hospital Wing were on her. "Do you have any better suggestions? Or maybe we should just have a few more weeks of pretending this never happened and hoping I'll just slip tidily back into my own time? I have to do something! And now Dumbledore's gone..."
And as she said this, her voice trailing off into a whisper, Lily finally understood why Dumbledore had felt he needed to share her secret with another living soul. Because somehow he had known, or guessed, that this was the night he died and if he died then it was only Minerva McGonagall left who knew, with no one to corroborate her story and quite enough to be getting on with in the wake of the death of one of the greatest wizards of all time. And so he had told Harry, and Severus Snape of all people, to help her, to make sure that she had people to go to, to trust, who would fight for her not only because it was the right thing to do but because they would, in some way, care about her survival. She turned to face the other occupants of the ward, her gaze finding Harry and silently pleading with him to believe that she was telling the truth.
Harry stared back at her, saying nothing, his expression closed off and stoic. Lily felt terrible and restless and she was tired of being stared at. She did not want to see her grandparent's disapproving looks or Hermione's calculating expression or Remus's bitter stare. She did not want to be here at all, but so long as she was stuck in nineteen ninety seven Lily was done with pretending to be someone else.
When everyone continued to be silent Lily spoke again. "I'm not lying," she said quietly though her voice easily carried through the quiet hall. "I really have traveled back in time. I know it sounds impossible, but I'm not lying."
Lily turned to look at McGonagall who was still standing behind her. The professor's cheeks were pale and her lips thin but she was at least no longer protesting Lily's actions.
"Please, Professor," she said quietly. "Tell them you believe me."
For a moment McGonagall was silent. "Albus believed her," she said firmly as if this settled the matter, finally looking away from Lily to the rest of the ward's occupants.
There was a short, confused pause before Harry cut in harshly, "He also believed Snape."
Lily's gaze darted back to Harry when he spoke and the mutinous expression on his face made her chest constrict. He was one of the only people to know her secret – he had to believe her. "Dumbledore had no reason to lie to you!" she protested fiercely. "And neither do I!"
"Everything you've told us since you've been here has been a lie," Harry shot back furiously. "You're not McGonagall's niece, you're not a student here, and you're not my daughter from the future!"
There were several gasps and exclamations at this, just as there had been when Professor McGonagall had used her proper surname. Again, Lily ignored them and instead kept her focus on Harry. Her eyes filled with frustrated tears but she blinked them away and clenched her fists. Dumbledore had not been this hard to convince, nor this infuriating. Her heart twinged a little as she recalled their first meeting, how he had done nothing but try and help her. He certainly had not yelled at her.
Lily ran a hand through the disaster her hair had become and fought the urge to scrub the tears from her eyes. Everyone was staring at her and no one was saying anything and she had never felt more alone in her entire life. She wanted to run away, back up to the Astronomy Tower, back before this whole horrible night had happened, before Snape had found her skiving off lessons, before Dumbledore had died. A few hours ago her biggest worry had been whether or not Harry would spot her on the Marauder's Map.
The Map!
Lily gasped when she suddenly realized how simple it was.
"The Map!" she exclaimed loudly and suddenly as she saw a few people jump in surprise. She almost smiled. "The Map, the Map never lies," she told Harry, as if he did not already know this. "Where is it?"
Harry merely clenched his jaw stubbornly.
"I have it," Hermione said quietly, and she pulled it from the pocket of her robes. Lily instantly recognized the aging parchment and she smiled widely in relief. Some of the room's occupants were looking thoroughly confused – McGonagall, her grandparents, Fleur – but Harry's fierce expression faltered for a moment before he turned to take the Map from Hermione. She handed it to him without argument and Harry in turn held it out to Lily.
"Show me," was all he said.
Lily took the Marauder's Map in her shaking hands and pulled her wand from her pocket. She tapped the parchment with her wand and said clearly, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
Black ink started to spread across the surface and Lily looked up to see a few expressions of reluctant acceptance. Harry still looked stoic, but Remus of all people was staring at her with open shock. Lily knew well that he was one of the Map's creators but it was the first time he had looked at her with anything other than anger or disdain.
Carefully, Lily began to unfold the worn parchment to find the Hospital Wing. It only took a moment and when she found it there was indeed a tiny black dot labeled Lily Potter. She handed the Map silently back to Harry who took it slowly as if he did not want to touch it.
His face paled instantly when he read the one name on the Marauders Map that had no business being there. After a moment Harry looked back up at her and she met his gaze, keenly aware that all eyes were on the two of them. "I told you," Lily whispered. "Everything I told you is true."
And while Harry said nothing he nodded and Lily felt relief wash over her. She nearly smiled before another voice broke the silence.
"I don't understand," Molly Weasley said from where she sat next to her son's bed. "How is a map proof of anything?" She was not the only one who looked confused either. While quite a few of the Infirmary's current occupants recognized the tattered parchment Harry held there were still those who had no idea what it was or why it would confirm her identity.
Lily felt her jaw start to tremble and rather than answer her future grandmother she turned to Remus, eager to rally more support now that Harry had been convinced. "You know what the Map is," she said quietly and for the first time that evening he looked back at her with an expression other than contempt and disbelief. He was pale and the lines in his face stood out sharply in the dim light of the room. "You helped make it. That's why Teddy got it first. He's the oldest."
At the mention of his supposed son Remus took a hasty step away from her. For a moment his expression broke into a mix of surprise and mournful sort of frown. She just stared at him imploringly.
"Remus?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
The werewolf shook himself and seemed to remember everyone else in the room. Although he addressed the occupants as a whole his eyes never left Lily's face. "The Map – it's a map of Hogwarts that shows the location of everyone in the castle. Each individual has their own labeled dot and it is never wrong."
"Perhaps you've bewitched it," Hermione said stubbornly. "You could know about the Map from Peter Pettigrew. It's not possible, that kind of travel through time."
"It is possible though," Lily retorted. "If anyone can believe me it's you! You've been back in time yourself." There were a few vague noises of surprise and interest at this new revelation. Hermione looked startled.
"It was only ever a few hours," she whispered. "They don't work over such a long distance..."
"But it is possible, going back in time."
Hermione did not refute this. She looked from Lily to Harry to Remus and seemed to be at something of a loss. Lily took another look around the room at everyone else there. Remus had approached Harry and was staring at the Marauders Map with blatant shock. Her grandparents looked bewildered, McGonagall reserved, Tonks interested, and Fleur seemed to be ignoring everyone in favor of tending to the still unconscious Bill. There was no longer reproach in any expression around the room except one. Ginny looked positively mutinous but Lily was no stranger to her mother's stubborn nature.
Lily observed them all quietly as they watched her in turn and she felt as if she were on some sort of stage. The Hospital doors were behind her and there was no one between her and a hasty exit. Lily longed to run away from all this madness. But now that she was finally gaining some support it was more important than ever that she stay with her future family.
Lupin, looking overwhelmed and exhausted collapsed onto the bed Lily had vacated earlier and Tonks was at his side in an instant. Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged significant looks, communicating silently.
"So, who exactly are you?" Ron asked. "I mean, if you're not McGonagall's niece and you've actually traveled back in time..." He trailed off, glancing awkwardly at Harry.
"You believe me?" Lily asked quietly.
Ron shrugged. "Harry does. And so does Hermione. And Professor McGonagall and even Dumbledore did. Pretty good recommendations, those."
Lily smiled and her knees felt weak.
"My name is Lily," she said. Ron took a step forward and held out his hand. Lily blinked in surprise for a moment before she took it and they shook.
"Nice to meet you," Ron grinned. Lily could not help returning the gesture, even if the smile slid from her face rather quickly.
And with this everyone else in the Hospital seemed to relax. The extremely tense atmosphere that had pervaded the space since Lily entered was fading and, while the mood was not a happy one by any means, Lily no longer felt as though she was going to be attacked at any moment. In fact in spite of the tragedy of it, the wake of Dumbledore's death had provided the opportunity for Lily to seek comfort in those from whom she wanted it the most.
"This is ridiculous!" Ginny burst out and everyone jumped a little at the sudden shout. Lily's future mother was the only one in the room now who seemed to harbor any doubt as to Lily's identity. "You really want us to believe that you're Harry's daughter from the future? That's mad!"
Lily glanced at Harry and turned back to Ginny, not sure how to answer, when Hermione said, "She's not just Harry's daughter." Ginny opened her mouth furiously before pausing as Hermione's implication sunk in. She blushed a brilliant shade of red and eyed Lily's bright Weasley hair, her brown eyes, her freckles. Ginny glanced over at Harry, whose cheeks were also flushed, before turning back to Lily.
"Oh dear," Mrs. Weasley whispered, one hand over her heart.
After a moment of shock Ginny straightened up, crossed her arms and said, "I don't believe you. Who says the Map is always right – you can't trust anything that thinks for itself – "
"If you can't see where it keeps its brain," Lily finished.
Behind Ginny Mr. Weasley smiled brightly and Lily smiled slightly in return. A few tense seconds passed before Ginny's defiant confidence crumbled.
"You're – you're my daughter?" she asked, raising a shaky hand to her forehead.
"Well, I will be your daughter," Lily answered, thinking that was perhaps one of the strangest things she had ever said.
"That's ridiculous," Ginny said faintly.
"You're telling me."
"And your name is Lily," Remus said quietly, the ghost of smile on his face. "Lily Potter." For the first time Lupin smiled and even put an arm around Tonks and pulled her closer. Lily smiled back, her eyes watery with all the pent up emotion of the last few minutes. In that moment Lily felt something warm creep up from her toes and fill her up. Her family was here, they believed her, and she was not alone. This moment, however, could not last.
"So what are we going to do with you now, Ms. Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked, effectively putting an end to Lily's short-lived contentment. "The school year is certainly over at this point and – " her voice wavered, "I have no way of getting you back to where you came from."
Harry did lower his wand to the ground but not before casting a quick muffliato around himself and James and discreetlly motioning for his son to step around the corner of the shelf out of view. Harry stood quite still, raising his hands slowly to show himself to be unarmed.
"James," he whispered quickly over his shoulder. "I'm going to distract the Aurors. You're going to take the time turner and get the hell out before they know that you're here."
"What? Dad, no – "
Harry cut him off. "We know when Lily disappeared and we know she was at Hogwarts," he continued even more quickly than before. "Go to Al first, he might know something about why she was out that night."
"Dad, they're here to arrest you – "
"Step forward slowly, Potter," one of the Aurors called. Harry could see him raise his wand.
"Don't lose her again," Harry whispered fiercely, risking a glance over his shoulder. "Don't let Lily disappear."
With one swift movement Harry dropped to the floor, swept up his wand in an arcing motion and fired off a harmless – but blindingly bright – curse in the direction of the Aurors. His left hand, still clutching the time turner, found James and shoved it into his hands. He heard James's footsteps as his son sprinted for the exit and Harry stood and shot off a quick Reducto to cover the noise. The bang that issued from his wand echoed in the cavernous room but the spell had cost Harry the chance to defend himself. A moment later there was an Auror on either side of him, both of their wands trained on him.
"Drop the wand!" Jordan's partner, a bulky man named Hedesse, ordered loudly.
"Why not just disarm me?" Harry asked, as if he were simply instructing in a training exercise. He was determined to buy James as much time as possible. "Or stun me and render me unconscious?"
Jordan answered out of habit. "There's too much sensitive equipment in here. Any stray spell could have unexpected and dangerous consequences."
Harry nodded. "The Department of Mysteries is a special case," he said conversationally, still not lowering his own wand.
Hedesse took a step closer, his wand pointed at Harry's head. "He's not teaching us, Jordan. Get your fucking act together! Now drop the wand, Potter, or I'll make you."
"By disarming me or stunning me?" Harry asked with a smirk.
Hedesse quickly closed the gap between them and a second later Harry felt the Auror's knee collide hard with his stomach. Harry dropped to his knees, one arm wrapped around his sore abdomen, the other supporting his weight. He took two deep breaths and steadied himself into a crouching position.
"Efficient," he said lightly, though there was a hint of strain there now. A second later in a sort of leaping tackle he had swiped Hedesse's legs out from under him. The larger man let out a roar of frustration and kicked out a leg, flipping Harry over onto his back. He hit one of the towering shelves around them and it swayed dangerously. There was quiet chink chink of fragile glass. Harry and Hedesse both froze, watching with bated breath before the shelf settled back into place.
"Stay still, both of you!" Jordan shouted, now the only one still standing. He aimed his wand but was obviously hesitant to fire any spells. But Harry was already moving again, struggling to get into a standing position in the tight space. Hedesse grabbed one of his ankles and he toppled again, his elbow finding Hedesse's cheek bone.
"Oh just stun him! STUN HIM!" Hedesse roared as he grabbed wildly at Harry's wand arm and Harry struggled to free it. Hedesse's own wand had fallen to the floor at some point in all the confusion.
Jordan continued to hesitate and Harry managed to fire off a quick stinging hex, despite the painful grip on his forearm. The spell flew off and hit Jordan, who winced but did not move. Another stinging hex hit Hedesse's eye and he let out a roar of pain, finally releasing Harry.
"JORDAN! STUN HIM NOW!" The aggravated Auror shouted somewhere close to Harry's ear. There was a flash of red light and Harry was unconscious.