DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, who isn't me. The only profit I get from this is personal satisfaction.
Sheep in Wolf's Clothing
Bill Weasley loved working in Egypt. It was unfortunate that he wasn't able to go home and see his family for Christmas, but other than that life was good. And it looked like Charlie had finally discovered that witches exist and had even proposed to one. Bill had always expected to be the first to get married, but if Charlie decided quick like Mum and Dad did, then good for him.
While lost in thought, a wizard Bill didn't recognize approached his workspace. There was something familiar about him, but it was hard to see beyond the wizard's oversized crooked hat.
"May I help you?" Bill asked.
"Yes, I think you can," the wizard replied as he made his hat even more askew. "I'm in a bit of a dilemma."
"What's the trouble?"
"Well, it's like this: I know with absolute certainty that Wizard R and Witch N are perfect for each other and will make each other very happy. I just found out that it's my fault that Witch N has now decided to marry a Wizard C who probably would have died alone, but still happy. Wizard R, on the other hand, has been unhappy for a very long time. Wizard R has yet to meet Witch N and is considering permanently moving far away for a dangerous job. What do I do?"
"Are you sure this is a problem for Gringotts?" Bill asked.
The wizard shrugged. "I trust your judgment and I need to talk to someone who isn't involved or too old or too young or just completely obsessed with a dead woman."
And so he comes to someone who works at a bank for help? And in the Curse Breaking departnent, no less? Bill wondered. This man seriously needs better friends. "How can you know that R and N are perfect for each other?" Bill asked. "That's pretty subjective, compared to the evidence that C and N are in love."
"Just trust me that I'm completely objective about that," the wizard said.
"Alright, let's assume that R and N would be wonderful together," Bill said. "Does that mean that C and N wouldn't? Or that R couldn't meet a Witch X in the place he moves to and find happiness there? It's entirely possible for someone to fall in love with more than one person, you know."
The wizard chuckled. "And as always you're smarter than me, Bill. That's exactly what I needed to hear."
"How do you know my name?" Bill asked. "Have we met before?"
"Yeah, you know me. I'll meet up with you after your shift and we can catch up."
Before Bill could ask anything more, the wizard had tipped his hat and disappeared and someone else was in front of him asking for the kind of help Bill was used to giving. He'd almost forgotten about the troubled wizard entirely until Bill was almost to the Floo that he showed up again.
"Remember me?" the wizard asked with a tip of his hat. "Is there somewhere around town where we can talk without being overheard? Somewhere not too public?"
Bill felt uneasy by the request. He didn't want some strange wizard following him home or doing something to him once they were completely alone. "There's a conference room down the hall that I have access to. I think it's empty now."
"I guess that'll have to do. Lead on."
Once they entered the conference room and found it as empty as expected, Bill was no longer patient. "Okay, we're here. Who are you and why don't I remember you—beyond today, I mean?"
The wizard grinned as he pulled out his wand. "Simple. Expecto Patronum." A raccoon emerged from the wand.
Bill's mouth dropped open. "You. You're the Saintlike One."
"Guilty as charged."
Bill responded by immobilizing the man who had terrorized his brothers for months, though he left the man's mouth free to move so he could explain himself. "What have you been doing with Fred and George?" he snarled.
"Well, lately I've just been teaching them Occlumency," the Saintlike One replied with a disconcerting smile. "And teaching Young George is beyond strange, let me tell you. I have to be in his head while I'm teaching him to keep people out of his head, including me. He's getting better, but getting him to a point where he consciously controls my presence will take a little while longer."
"Stay away from my family, or I'll..."
"Yeah, that's the hard bit: I'm also distantly related to your Mum's second cousin, so you and me are pretty much brothers. And since I'm your family, I'm not going to stay away from myself anytime soon."
"Are you toying with me?" Bill asked.
"Can't help it," the Saintlike One replied. "I made fun of Voldemort on Wizard Radio, so there's no way I'm going to not give my brother a hard time."
"We are not brothers!"
"Yes we are. Serious honor to Merlin we are. Despite the fact that I'm a bit older than both of them right now, Molly and Arthur Weasley are my parents. I've used up a lot of temporal energy to get to this year, but I'd like to think that it'll be worth it by the time I get rid of Voldemort."
"You're about nine years too late for that, mate," Bill scoffed.
"Or eight years early. I'm a time traveler and I can prove it."
Bill scoffed again.
"You used to be a time traveler too," the Saintlike One said. "You used a Time-Turner to get to all of your classes and you never told anyone about it."
"My professors and the Ministry knew," Bill said.
"Yes," the Saintlike One said, "but on your last day as Head Boy someone pulled a prank on the entire school, with a particular emphasis on Snape. It drove you spare wondering who had done it until you got a lovely little piece of parchment in your handwriting saying 'I did it.' With the last use of your Time-Turner, you managed to pull a prank on not only the whole school, but on yourself."
Bill's eyes narrowed. "How did you know about that?"
"Well, my sister-in-law and you were swapping stories at Shell Cottage one day and I happened to overhear you two discover that the other had used their Time-Turners in ways that weren't strictly legal right before giving them up. She brought a hippogriff back to life and saved Sirius Black from hundreds of Dementors, but she had Harry Potter's help so that didn't count. Your prank definitely tops it in my book."
"You're impossible."
"Highly improbable, but not impossible," the Saintlike One corrected. "It just so happens that people with already existing duplicates can jump through time on a large scale without the universe finding out that something is very wrong with it."
"And the universe still hasn't noticed you?" Bill asked dryly.
"Well it has now, but it's left me here too long for it to simply zap me out of here. It's just waiting for me to die on my own now."
"No," Bill said as he turned away from the Saintlike One. "I don't believe this. People can't change the past. You must have found out about that prank some other way and you're trying to trick me into trusting you like you did with Fred and George."
The Saintlike One sighed. "Bill, what can I do? What can I possibly do that will convince you that I'm your brother from the future?"
"Nothing," Bill replied. "You might be able to pick my head for facts or find out things from people who already trust you."
"Fine," the Saintlike One said. "Take my wand and compare it to Young George's the next time you see him. It was one of the few things I got to take with me from 2018, but if it will help remove your doubt, then I'll gladly give it up."
Bill took the Saintlike One's wand from his pocket and stared at it. It looked exactly like George's wand, only it looked about as worn out as Mum and Dad's. It wasn't absolute proof—Bill was hardly a wand expert by any means—but it was something. A possibility that maybe the Saintlike One really was just George.
"And thanks again for that advice for R, N, and C," the Saintlike One said. "I've already told R that N is no longer a reason to stay in this timeline. I just hope he can find his Witch X when I send him back. Although it should probably be noted that R and N's kid was quite close to your eldest when I left and if that affects my decision, I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier."
"Saintlike One, what am I going to do with you?" Bill asked. "I won't be able to confirm anything about you for a while and you're just going to keep on blubbering about time travel and being my brother and who knows what else. I don't think I'll be able to stand it."
"How about you hand me over to our least favorite Potions Master?" the Saintlike One suggested. "He's back at the entrance, waiting for me."
"Snape's here?" Bill asked. "Why?"
"You just said you didn't want me talking about my messes," the Saintlike One pointed out. "It has to do with stopping Voldemort from coming back, but I guess that's more than you wanted to know."
"So I'll hand you over to Snape and he can torture you all he likes, right?" Bill asked.
"Pretty much," the Saintlike One replied. "Oh, and a word of advice: learn Occlumency. You shouldn't have any reason to know it all the way out here, but it's a good skill to have when the situation calls for it."
"I'll consider it," Bill said as he disillusioned the still immobilized Saintlike One and carried him back to Snape.
"I'm back!" George declared when he and Snape returned to the camp that Remus had been guarding alone all day, except when George came and finally told him the news that Remus' wife was engaged to someone else. Fortunately the werewolf hadn't make a big deal out of it and seemed more excited about George letting him becoming a time traveler.
"And the verdict?" Remus asked.
"Bill knows but doesn't entirely believe me," George said. "And now he has my wand, so if you happen to have a spare, that would be great."
"As a matter of fact..." Remus said as he searched his bag. He pulled out a long thin wand and George's mouth dropped open.
"Voldemort's wand?" George asked. "You've had Voldemort's wand this whole time and you didn't even say anything?"
"Sirius got Peter to say where he'd hidden it before he dragged him to trial," Remus explained. "Old Padfoot nicked it and passed it onto me right before I came after you guys."
"And then you forgot about it," George finished. "Well, if it's the only spare we've got right now, it'll have to do."
George took the wand and gave it a wave. A couple sparks came out of it, which were a couple more than he expected. And since George didn't expect Ollivander to pop up out of nowhere, he'd have to delay acquiring a new wand until he got back to Britain. Though on second thought, maybe it would be a better idea to visit Gregorovitch. James Oliver was still a wanted man in Britain, after all.
Remus and Snape waited outside Gregorovitch's wand shop while Old George went in. Several minutes later, Old George emerged.
"So?" Remus asked. "What did you get?"
"19-inch alder dyed silver lime with Chizpurfle sinew core."
Remus and Snape stared at him.
"That can't honestly be what he sold you," Remus said.
"I refuse to buy anything from that guy!" Old George proclaimed. "Gregorovitch, he... Oh, Merlin, I can't even describe it! I'm shaking! Look at me! Still shaking!"
"Oliver, you are over-exaggerating," Snape sneered.
"Fine, I dare you to spend five minutes in there and still think that!" Old George retorted.
Snape went into the shop. Three and a half minutes later, he came back out. "You overreacted," he said, though he did seem paler.
"Then why did you come out early?" Old George asked
"It was not necessary to stay the full time," Snape replied.
"Not necessary, my ear!" Old George spat. "You got the jibblies too! How Riddly-mort managed to torture Gregorovitch, I will never know, but if I'm getting a new wand, it'll be back home! Using evil yew is nothing compared to that!"
Remus just looked back and forth between Old George and Snape. "Are either of you going to explain what was so wrong in there?"
"If you want to be scarred for life, find out for yourself," Old George said as he pointed at the shop door.
Remus decided he could suppress his curiosity. He had enough scars over the years without adding more. And if Snape couldn't handle it, there was no way the werewolf could.
Several months had passed since the wand incident (since which George had managed by using Voldemort's wand or, more frequently, going wandless), and it was now the start of summer. Remus and George decided it was time to return to the British Isles, as Remus was finally ready to make the jump through time. Snape had decided to stay behind so he could familiarize himself with the Albanian forests without the risk of Voldemort discovering that his supposedly 'faithful servant' wasn't alone. George planned to go back and shadow him once his business up north was done.
Right before they had left the continent, Snape had bombarded both of their brains silly and their shields held, so George theoretically no longer had to worry about whether his former future professor would be okay. Remus simply couldn't wait to jump back. There was just something George wanted to do first, before the werewolf left his home timeline forever.
George—under Transfiguration, as he was still a wanted man—and Remus Apparated to the Burrow and saw the preparations for a celebration that resembled all the Weasley weddings George had attended before, with the closest match being Bill's.
"As much as I'd love to help set up for yet another of Mum's parties," George told Remus, "I need to make sure that you're doing the right thing. Let's go meet your wife."
"Why didn't we come sometime before today to do this?" Remus asked. "The day of the wedding is usually the worst time to tell the bride that she might have chose wrong."
"I wanted to give Tonks and Charlie the chance to figure out if they should be together on their own. And besides, Tonks will either be at her strongest or her weakest today. She'll make the right choice for herself, whatever that ends up being."
Remus frowned. "You're a real Dumbledore, aren't you?"
"Yes, I'm a manipulative old git who is going to be killed by my own nearsightedness someday," George replied dryly. "Now let's head inside and see if we can corner Tonks alone somewhere."
Finding Tonks was easy. Getting her away from Mum and Andromeda was the hard part. Remus stayed out of sight as George told layers of clever lies about Arthur and Ted needing moral support. The two mothers gave each other knowing glances before going to their husbands' aid.
"So, Tonks, you look lovely today," George said when he and the bride were alone. And she was lovely, her natural quirkiness somehow increasing her radiance. George just wasn't quite sure about the fact that Tonks had freckles on her face and hair ginger enough to rival any Weasley. I guess she really does have her heart set on becoming a part of the family.
"Thank you," Tonks replied graciously. "Do I know you from somewhere?"
"Today, I am using the name Mungo," George said. "As in Saint Mungo's."
"Saint?" Tonks repeated. George smiled and nodded. The girl laughed and hugged the man who was to become her future brother-in-law. "I'm so glad you've come! I thought you and the Outcasts Club were busy."
"Well, I've got something that might need doing in London later tonight, so I thought I'd might as well show up for my brother's wedding," George replied. "But don't be too happy to see me."
"Why not?" Tonks asked. "You're not planning on dying, are you?"
"Not anytime soon, no," George replied. The Memory Book had indicated that there was a possibility that sending a time traveler far enough back in time could destroy the traveler's previous universe—in Remus' case, the one George had jumped to—but that seemed to be pretty unlikely. "I have to inform you, before you make your vows, that you did not marry Charlie in my timeline."
"That's not..." Tonks stuttered as her hair went pale, then burning red. "How dare you! You come to my wedding and tell me I'm marrying the wrong wizard?"
"Not wrong, just different. Charlie was perpetually single. If he was going to marry anyone, it'd be you and I'm glad that he's happy. But you should at least meet the man who would have fathered your son if you hadn't discovered my brother first."
George poked his head out into the hallway and motioned to Remus to come in. George stepped out as Remus joined Tonks, so as to give them a sort of privacy, but he couldn't help but listen in anyway.
"So, you're supposed to be my husband?" Tonks asked dryly.
"I still think Old George might have swallowed some insanity-inducing juice," Remus replied. "I'd consider myself the last wizard anyone would want to marry, let alone procreate with."
For the last time, I am perfectly sane and you did both of those things! George thought at the man. And I thought you were going to call me Mungo!
"Do you have a name?" Tonks asked.
"Remus Lupin. I was born in 1960 and bitten by Fenrir Greyback a few years later, making me a werewolf. I am perpetually out of work due to my condition and I strongly doubt I could be of much use in a family. Your old Potions professor has spent the last several months teaching me to brew a potion that will allow me to control my behavior in wolf form, but it would still require a great act of kindness for me to be fully employed by anyone aware of what I am.
"I have the potential of doing what Old George did—go back in time—to when I and a twin I didn't know even existed were both born. There I would be a non-entity and, if I am careful, not known for my half-breed status. Old George is stopping the war that is coming. I can stop the war that came. I bet he thought that I might be convinced to stay if I met you. He's told me quite a bit about you, actually. But I think, deep down, that he's accepted that I am useless here and useful in the past. He just wants to make sure I know I've made the right choice."
The two were silent for a moment.
"You're a good man," Tonks said finally. "I can see why I might have fallen for you. But that me did not fall in love with Charlie Weasley like I did. Charlie is the best part of my life and even the most perfect man in the world could not tear me from him now. I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I'm actually quite relieved it's worked out."
"Also, you have my permission as a former Hufflepuff to try and court Professor Sprout back in the past," Tonks said. "Not immediately, of course, but since Old George is so anxious to see you get married..."
"Permission noted," Remus said, "though I highly doubt I could ever see her like that. She taught me Herbology long before she ever taught you."
Tonks laughed. "Are you going to stay for the ceremony?"
"I wouldn't miss it for the world."
As soon as Remus and Old George left the wedding, the one-eared man did nothing but quiz the werewolf about things he would need to know. Well, that and Remus brewed his potion. In order to not disrupt his cycle, Remus was going to jump back in time three days before the full moon, as it was the day he was born.
"Okay, what day is it?" Old George asked.
"10th of March, 1960," Remus replied as he finished the last part of the brew. Back when Remus had first joined up with Outcasts Club, Snape had made the qualification for letting Remus brew the Wolfsbane Potion on his own that he brew it correctly for three consecutive moons. There had been plenty of failures, but the werewolf had finally done it. At the very least, Remus would be able to tell when he did it wrong and in that case, he would just go wolf the old fashioned way and try again the next moon.
"What's your name?" Old George asked.
"Ronald James Thewlis," Remus said. He was a bit sad that he'd have to lose his name, but it would be too suspicious if he went by 'Remus John Lupin', so he borrowed given names from Old George's family and James Potter while using the last name of some Muggle actor Old George had pulled out of a hat. "My friends call me R.J."
"Blood status?"
"My parents were both Muggle-born," Remus said. "They home-schooled me."
"Good," Old George said. "Ever hear of the Beatles?"
Remus took a gulp of his potion to give himself time to think of an answer. "Aren't they a band popular with Muggles?"
"Wrong answer," George said as he pulled out a clipping from a pile of newspaper articles he'd gathered, both from Muggle and wizard papers. "According to this, their music isn't widely distributed until 1963."
"Do I really need to know something that detailed?" Remus asked.
"No idea, but it's better to be over-prepared," Old George said. "Are you a werewolf?"
It took a moment for Remus to realize that Old George was quizzing him again. "What context is this being asked under?"
"Curious acquaintance," Old George replied.
"Then no, and that is a very impolite question to ask," Remus chided. "Would you like me to ask whether you suffer from Stinkitus? It doesn't matter whether the medical condition is there or not, it's not at all kind to imply that something is wrong with someone else that they cannot help."
"Same question, now by a Death Eater," Old George prompted.
"If I am a werewolf, then there ought to be a lot more death and destruction around me, shouldn't there?" Remus replied flatly.
"A kid who was just infected with lycanthropy."
"Now that is simply not fair," Remus complained.
"Just do it."
Remus sighed. "I am very close to someone like you. There's a monster inside of you that is impossible to control during the moon, but you shouldn't let the monster take over your entire life. You have a choice to be a human being most of the time. There are many humans who fail at being human while many 'half-breeds' succeed. Choices make you who you are, not your circumstances."
"Where do you go during the full moon?" Old George asked.
"I have a friend who suffers from lycanthropy who I am able to help in a very personal way that I would much rather not get into." Remus said. "Let's just say that animals are soothing to the wolf and leave it at that."
"You're using the Marauders' excuse as a cover for yourself?" Old George asked. "Very nice. What is wrong with Romulus Lupin?"
"Birth asphyxia," Remus said quickly. "He needs oxygen in his blood and he needs it now."
The only part Remus was truly worried about is whether he would even be able to save Romulus. There wasn't any real way to practice a medical procedure on a newborn infant, let alone ensure that the healer in the room deferred to him even if by some miracle Remus did do things correctly. Remus didn't think of himself as particularly authoritative, but he'd have to try his best to make sure the healer didn't second-guess the diagnosis and treatment before it was too late.
"Once you're done with that, who do you talk to?" Old George asked.
"Dumbledore," Remus said. "I tell him about Ariana and the Elder Wand. I claim to be a seer who would rather be known for my deeds rather than my predictions for that first year. After that I tell him—and only him—the truth."
"Do you ever tell anyone else who you really are?"
"Not unless it's necessary," Remus said, "and even then it is limited to the Lupins, Prewitt brothers, Potters, and maybe a few other people who are completely trustworthy."
"And when do you send someone else back in time?"
"When their twin is gone, but I emphasize to them that it won't be like having a twin again. Once they agree to everything, I show them the Memory Book."
Old George had spent the last few months meticulously going over every detail of the Memory Book and his own experiences, so the werewolf was confident that he would be able to pass on the secrets of time travel to his successor. Remus would have about a decade before the war really got going, in which he would sabotage it as much as possible. It was even possible that no trustworthy twins would die in the war effort, but Remus found that unlikely. Voldemort had been working on his terrorism project for at least 15 years before Remus would enter the picture, so there was bound to be some senseless death.
"Now name the Horcruxes and their likely locations," Old George said.
"Diary, either with Voldemort himself or a trusted servant. Ring, at Gaunt's Shack—and beware the curse on it. Cup with Voldemort or trusted servant's Gringotts vault. Diadem in the Room of Requirement. Locket in a childhood cave, though it shouldn't be there until 1979. Snake, which shouldn't even exist right now. Harry Potter, if the Killing Curse backfiring happens again."
"Okay, you've taken your potion," George said, "and you know exactly where to go to get ingredients to brew your next one, right?"
"Yes," Remus sighed. "Are you done with the last-minute questions yet or are we going to have to try again at the next moon?"
Old George checked the time and the two Apparated to St. Mungo's. They went to an abandoned closet and George sat on the ground with his eyes closed. "Alright. I need to concentrate, so don't do anything until it's time—unless, of course, you've finally realized that going back in time is a bad idea and want to stop?"
"If I was going to back out, I would have done so by now," Remus said, then kept quiet as he watched Old George regulate his breathing. Remus knelt in front of Old George and waited until the one-eared man pulled out Voldemort's wand and placed it on Remus' temple. This part of the ritual would encase Remus' mind in a nebulous form that would hide him—and the semi-sentient wand bonded to him—from the universe, connected to Remus' body only through his soul.
A moment later, Old George pulled the wand back and set it aside. Now came the hard part. Old George's mind would act as a bridge and anchor for Remus to use to get to his destination thirty years in the past. It required Old George to eliminate the slightest traces of anything that was not required by the spell from his mind. Remus knew Old George was worried about getting it right, but the werewolf had confidence in the old time traveler. Old George had done practically nothing but prepare for this moment for months. It would work.
Old George stretched forth his hands towards Remus and he spoke the incantation that could bend time and possibly destroy the universe: "Confringo Quartamurus."
And Remus was gone.