A/N)Hello! I had difficulty writing this chapter which is why it took longer. I do have a request to make of my reviewers. Please DO NOT review if all you are doing is mentioning about why there hasn't been an update yet. I had written quite a bit of this chapter a week ago and was poised to finish it and update a lot earlier than now, however a reviewer posted saying 'its been quite a long time since you posted a new chapter, isn't it?'. Obviously I know the review in question really means they are enjoying it and want more and I am grateful for your support but please do not review if all you are going to comment on is that it has been this long since an update.

I'd rather write good quality chapters rather than quick, rushed ones the night before which had been happening quite often with this story. I was not happy with the work I was producing. And everyone who has supported this story has been the best. You've all been supportive of my decision to have more time between updates. It allows me more time to plan out the story too.

Sorry I had to get this out of my system because it really frustrated me when I got that review. This rant is more directed at the reviewer than anything but since it was anonymous I couldn't respond. And it would probably happen again if I didn't say anything.

Anyway… without further ado… here is the next chapter…

Twisting Time

Chapter 33

Sunday 5th April 1992

They arrived in Dumbledore's office. Lily had already pulled Harry away from the centre of the room and was now hugging him, whispering into his hair as her son held his mother tightly. Upon Apparating back into the office, James moved towards his wife and son, leaving Sirius in the care of Remus. Sirius had, on arrival, promptly fainted. He now lay off to the side whilst Remus tended to him. Years of having to look after himself after his monthly transformations had taught Remus a lot about healing.

Minutes later there was another loud pop and Albus Dumbledore arrived. Without saying a word he quickly raised his wand and muttered quite a few words. Then, when he was finished, he turned to the others that occupied his office.

"James, Lily… I am relieved Harry is safe," he said quietly.

James looked around. "It was a close one, Albus. Things could have been so much worse…" He glanced at his best friend. "Moony… how is he?"

"Exhausted… I think," answered Remus. "He's used up a lot of magic. I'm only an expert on physical wounds… not mental ones." He lifted up Sirius' right arm. "There is only so much I can do with this wound too. It's very deep."

James' eyes widened. "Albus?"

"It is as I feared…" sighed the Headmaster. "In place of Harry in the ritual, Voldemort used Sirius. Sirius' blood now runs in the veins of Lord Voldemort."

"What does that mean for Sirius?" asked Remus.

"I'm not sure. I would like to think on it before I talk to you all. I will share my suspicions with you, of course. But I believe it is pertinent to get Sirius the help he needs." He waved his wand and a silver Patronus leapt forth from his wand. He spoke rapidly. The Patronus wheeled around and flew off through the door. "I have informed Poppy that Sirius will need immediate medical attention and to prepare a bed for him." He turned towards Sirius' prone body and then levitated him off the floor. "Harry should also be checked over by Madam Pomfrey as well."

"But I'm fine!" protested Harry, pulling away from his mother.

James glared at his son. "You're getting checked out. We need to be sure."

Harry nodded.

"Then let us proceed to the hospital wing," said Dumbledore.

Pain shot through his body as consciousness slowly returned. He felt drips of water on his lips as the darkness lightened. Groaning, Sirius opened his eyes and found Remus starring down at him.

"Urgh… you are not the face I want to wake up to…" Sirius quipped.

Remus rolled his eyes. "I see you are back to your normal self, despite what has happened."

Sirius grimaced. He really wasn't. It just seemed the most obvious thing to say when greeted with either Remus or James leaning over him. If it had been Lily he probably would have greeted her with 'I could get used to this', in which her immediate response would have been to slap him across the face. "I'm far from it, Remus…" He tried to sit up but found his whole body ached. With his friend's help, Sirius sat up in bed, with pillows propped up behind him.

"How do you feel?" Remus asked.

"Like someone used me for playtime." His whole body ached. His head still hurt from the intrusions Voldemort had attempted on his mind. He hated how the Dark Lord had got in to his head. "Rem… I need to speak to Dumbledore. It's urgent."

"Sirius… what happened?" Remus' face paled.

Sirius swallowed. He lowered his gaze. He couldn't bear to look at his friend. He didn't want to be judged for his weakness. "Voldemort got into my head. I don't really know how much he knows… And Harry… Harry deserves to know the truth."

"That isn't up to you, Sirius, and you know that," said James, who was leaning against the wall, having stayed silent this long time.

Sirius hadn't realised James was there. "I know… But Harry will have questions. Voldemort told him things."

James' eyes boggled slightly. "Harry hasn't said anything."

"He will…" advised Sirius. He winced as pain shot up his right arm. "I thought Poppy would have fixed this arm…"

"She did," replied Remus. "You're still healing Sirius."

"How is Harry?"

"Safe. He wasn't injured which surprised us," answered James. "Lily is with him. She won't let him out of her sight."

"I bet Harry loves that," smirked Sirius.

James chuckled. "He doesn't." His expression turned serious. "What did you do? Harry was protected…How?"

Sirius frowned. He knew it had been their bond which had enabled him to save Harry's life. But how could he put it into words? "Our bond… Voldemort tried to hurt Harry. I didn't do anything consciously… I just didn't want Harry to get hurt. I wanted to protect him. Then a shield appeared around him which I knew was my doing as I felt my strength – or what I had left – powering it. I don't know how I managed to keep it up because Voldemort kept on torturing me… I protected Harry because it was the right thing to do. This bond of ours needs exploring, James. We cannot just ignore this. Harry is aware of it and he is aware of what I am as well."

"Voldemort told him that?"

Sirius nodded. "That's why he will have questions. Pre-empt them by telling him the truth. We already lost his trust once with the diary… let's not do so again. By the way… what did happen after I was taken?" It didn't feel like they had only been in the Chamber the night before, about to confront the diary manifestation of Tom Riddle. It seemed ages ago that had happened. So much had gone on since then, in such a short space of time.

James grimaced. "A lot."

"How did you defeat him?" Sirius was curious.

"With miraculous ease, surprisingly," grinned James. "Lily was scary."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. Now he felt intrigued. "What did she do?"

"Harry still had the diary under his clothes. She took it from him. Riddle didn't expect us to have Horcrux destroying instruments on ourselves. Lily taunted him and then just, quite casually, with practically no emotion, stabbed a fang into the diary. She was scary as hell."

Sirius shuddered. "Glad I wasn't there." He grimaced. "Though if I'd had a choice between facing Voldemort and a scary Lily, I'd pick Voldemort every time."

"I think I'd pick Lily… as long as her anger wasn't directed at me," grinned James.

"You're the only one insane enough to pick a Dark Lord over a Muggleborn witch," laughed Remus, chuckling.

Sirius rolled his eyes.

The curtain beside his bed opened. Dumbledore stood there. "Ah Sirius, you are awake. Excellent. I need to talk to you about what happened at the Graveyard."

Sirius nodded. He needed to anyway. "James and Remus will stay. What we both need to say can be heard by them both."

Dumbledore inclined his head. "Of course. I had no intention of turning either of them away. I am certain James would not have left, even if I had asked him to."

"You're right about that." James folded his arms across his chest.

Dumbledore stepped inside the small cubicle Sirius occupied. "Silencio! I do not wish for us to be overheard." He turned his blue eyes upon Sirius. "Now, please, tell me everything what happened to you."

Sirius had expected this. Dumbledore needed the full story, when all Sirius wanted to talk about was the information Voldemort had learned from him. I really hope he doesn't suspect me knowing about the Horcruxes… Even if Voldemort did assume Sirius knew of them, he would have to go and check on them and make sure they were all still safe and protected. "Before I start… can I just ask… did any of you see a snake in the Graveyard at all?"

James and Remus shook their heads.

"I did," confirmed Dumbledore. "It was well hidden. Not easily seen. Our duel was short. Once you had escaped him, Voldemort decided to flee. He quickly took down all the wards, revived Quirrell and Lucius Malfoy, both of whom Disapparated instantly upon seeing me there, and then Voldemort hissed the word 'Nagini' in which a snake appeared from a grassy edge close to where you were being held captive, Sirius. Once she had reached Voldemort, he Disapparated."

Sirius perked up. "Do you think it is a Horcrux?"

"I believe it is very possible. I am surprised none of you were attacked by her. This suggests that Voldemort had given her specific instructions to stay low and not reveal herself unless called for. Though snakes do obey Parseltongue they are single minded that if prey comes they will ignore all other instruction. If a part of Voldemort's soul is within the snake, it kept her from doing anything that will endanger itself. I would assume it is a Horcrux."

Sirius nodded. "Then there are two Horcruxes left. The snake and something we cannot identify yet."

"We will find it, Padfoot," reassured James.

"I hope so… But Voldemort is back now… We are running out of time. I want to finish this before it gets worse for our world," explained Sirius.

"Voldemort hid for a while originally, did he not?" enquired the Headmaster.

Sirius nodded. "He did. Whether he was revealed after I died or not we'll never know… It was about a year between his return and my death… That timeline is moot now… But whatever you do, Dumbledore, do not go to the Ministry with this. They will not believe you." He remembered what it had been like for Harry. "We need wait until he moves out into the open but recruit as many people as we can."

"You're talking about reviving the Order of the Phoenix…" nodded Dumbledore. "I was intending on doing so myself and I will see to it that the relevant people will be brought into our circle to prevent the threat Voldemort presents from expanding any further."

A sense of relief rushed through Sirius. They could prepare better this time round. Even if they stayed silent about it, if they managed to acquire support from within the Ministry on the sly than they would still be far more prepared than they had been in Sirius' original timeline. He caught the Headmaster's eyes and knew it was time to relieve his experiences in the Graveyard. "I'm just going to be blunt about this, Albus… Voldemort got into my head. I couldn't stop him from breaking down my defences."

"Ah… I feared that he had. Do you know what he learned?" the Headmaster's tone was soft and non-accusatory.

"The night I defeated him he saw an image of my Harry with a scar on his forehead. He told me he had guessed Harry had become the Boy-Who-Lived. In the Graveyard he asked me to confirm it… I didn't answer. Later he used Legilimency on me… I was concentrating so hard on keeping the barriers up that I didn't notice someone approaching and hitting me on the head. I lost my focus…" He bit his lip, shame flooding through him.

"Diversionary tactics," sighed the Headmaster. "What did he see?"

"My…death…" admitted Sirius. "He knows that I didn't just choose to come back in time… He knows I died and then came back. I still didn't answer but he knows my silence means he is correct. He wanted to know how I did it. I can't remember anything from between dying and waking up here. I did tell Voldemort that as I genuinely do not know…" He noticed Dumbledore's expression briefly change. What did the Headmaster know that he hadn't told him? "Voldemort told me he still wanted Harry dead but he will not attack him directly himself. He is afraid that Harry will defeat him… despite the changes I have made… He doesn't know how Harry survived that night…"

James sighed. "So Harry is still in danger but Voldemort will not come after him?"

Sirius shook his head. "No. I think Voldemort still believes in the prophecy but is actively trying to work around it. It was after that Harry appeared in the Graveyard."

Grimacing James pulled a face. "It should have been all of us."

Sirius understood. "I think the bond is exclusive to Harry and I. Only we can have the benefits from it and no one else. Voldemort figured out I share a bond with Harry. Then…" His mouth twitched. "Voldemort read Harry's mind."

"That bastard went in my son's head?" growled James angrily.

"Yes… He was looking for information on me… Which is something Harry does not have."

"Harry knows the truth," guessed the Headmaster.

"Partly. Not a full explanation. Voldemort told Harry he tried to kill him when he was a baby. He informed him of the prophecy… Not the contents just that it was the reason why he went after him. He told Harry I was refusing to elaborate so would torture him instead of me… When Voldemort cast the torture curse at Harry there was one thing I wanted more than anything and that was to protect him. I didn't do it consciously but my anguish and fear of Harry being hurt must have triggered our bond. A shield appeared around Harry protecting him. Harry couldn't get out either. I could feel power coursing through my veins. I had some control over the shield once it was there, however no control over the creation of it. Voldemort theorised if he killed me or knocked me unconscious the shield would break."

Remus frowned. "Why didn't he just knock you unconscious?"

"Because he was dealing with a power he knows not," answered Dumbledore. "The original prophecy is making itself known."

Sirius paled. "I think Voldemort also realised if he did knock me unconscious, as soon as I woke our bond would do something to keep Harry protected. My instinct is to keep Harry safe. Always. Never let any harm come to him. Voldemort said he would torture me in front of Harry… I, err, wisely informed Harry he could just close his eyes and cover his ears, which he did. Voldemort kept on taunting me about what he would do to Harry once the shield fell. That only gave me incentive to keep it strong." He shivered.

James rested a hand on his friend's shoulder. "And then?"

"Voldemort guessed you and Lily had died. That he had killed you in my original timeline. But what Voldemort really wanted from me was to find out how much I really knew." Sirius emphasised the last few words.

"Horcruxes!" breathed Remus. "That's what he was looking for when he got into your head!"

Sirius nodded. "Exactly. And then you arrived, Prongs."

"And distracted him." James smiled smugly.

"Yeah…." Sirius turned his head away, a heavy sadness suddenly falling onto his shoulders. "He'll go and check on the other Horcruxes, won't he? He will get his answer then… That's why he kept the snake out of sight as he wanted to clarify first. If he learns the others are gone he will protect the snake… Fuck…"

"Sirius…" Dumbledore leaned forward. "Even if Voldemort does learn his Horcruxes have been destroyed it is not the end."

"He could create more and we wouldn't know if he has!" retorted Sirius. "This whole plan we've been acting on has been dependent on Voldemort not finding out!"

"If you're concerned, why not go to the places where the Horcruxes were found and place a spell that would alert us if people disturb the area?" suggested James. "That way we will know if he does choose to visit his other Horcruxes… He may not even take the risk. We may be okay."

Sirius bit his lip. He didn't feel like it would be okay. He felt like everything was going to blow up in his face. For the past ten years he had fought to ensure that Harry grew up in a safe and happy environment, and that he would maintain his childhood for a lot longer than he had originally. But now… It would be silly to assume Harry still retained it. He had lost his childhood.

But the Horcruxes were the problem. If Voldemort did go to them…

If Voldemort was smart, which Sirius was certain he was, he would investigate his Horcruxes. Especially since he didn't know whether Sirius was aware of them. Sirius had held the edge for the past decade but now time was catching up to him.

"Voldemort would detect it if we tried to place a detecting spell to alert us to his presence at his Horcrux locations," replied Sirius. He had been silent for a few seconds.

James shook his head. "No, he won't. Lily's strength lays in charms."

"True…" mused Sirius. "Dumbledore?" On this matter he wanted the Headmaster's opinion.

"I think the idea has merit. That way we would know for sure. Of course he could be visiting those places now but I believe he will wait and see what happens first. He will want to lay low until he has determined what our next course of action is. If he checks on his Horcruxes he will potentially be placing himself in public view and I doubt he would allow his Death Eaters the chance to discover what he really cavorts by sending them," the Headmaster explained.

It was sage advice.

"Also, do not forget, he won't be able to check on all of them. He can hardly walk into Gringott's bank, can he?" alluded Remus.

Sirius laughed. "That's true." He was starting to feel a bit more relieved. "Hopefully he will assume I know nothing of them then."

"We can only hope…" reassured Dumbledore.

Later that evening, after James had put Jack to bed, he met Lily in the room they were staying in. Harry had wanted to stay with them and was fast asleep in the bed meant for him. He and Lily were going to share a double sleeping bag on the floor. Jack had wanted to stay with 'Aunt Minnie' whom he fondly called Professor McGonagall.

They had given Harry a potion to keep him asleep throughout the night too. However James couldn't help but notice his wife's concerned features.

"Lily?" James leaned round.

"We have a problem…" she sighed. "And it's not about asking me to lay detecting spells around the areas we've found Horcruxes either…"

James felt his heart skip a beat.

"Whilst you were with Sirius earlier, I spoke to Harry." She turned beseeching green eyes on him.

"And?" swallowed James.

"He asked me questions… Questions that I hoped he would never ask… We always planned to tell him about the prophecy when he was older… But…"

"Voldemort has forced our hand," stated James, feeling angry at the prospect

Lily nodded mutely. "I told him I couldn't tell him just yet but…"

James could see Lily didn't want to admit the truth that she already knew was inevitable. "We have no choice."

"No… Harry needs to know everything James. He knows Sirius is a time-traveller. Harry will ask about his other self… " Lily took her husband's hand.

"Damn. I was hoping we wouldn't have to tell him until he was sixteen."

"Me too." Lily sighed. "But Sirius has to be there too."

James nodded. "When do we tell him?"

"Tomorrow."

To be continued…

Please let me know what you think!

Voldemort and the Horcruxes… will he check they are safe or not? And the snake… Voldemort wanted to protect it which is why only Dumbledore noticed it. I decided not to go into detail with the battle between Voldemort and Dumbledore… I think that is best left to imagination.

In the next chapter… James, Lily and Sirius talk to Harry… This chapter may be short or may be long… it all depends on where it takes me…

Until next time…

the-writer1988