A/N) Hello all! This chapter was very difficult to write... I just kept getting stuck... I said in my previous chapter that this one would either be short or long... As you can see its short but it was such a difficult chapter to write that I am relieved I have finally finished it! My apologies for the wait!

Twisting Time

Chapter 34

Monday 6th April 1992

The following afternoon they decided to Apparate home. That morning, Lily, Remus and Dumbledore had travelled to each of the Horcrux locations that were in public areas to lay detecting spells which Lily linked to the Headmaster so if movement was picked up in those areas, he could go and investigate on short notice. The plan was, that if Dumbledore caught Voldemort at the locations he would then reveal he had been the one to locate and destroy them. He meant to protect Sirius but they all realised it would be unlikely for Voldemort to believe only Dumbledore knew.

Both Sirius and Remus went home with them. Remus had volunteered to keep Jack busy while James and Lily, with Sirius, spoke to Harry about his godfather's identity. None of them really wanted to have this conversation. Unfortunately Voldemort had forced their hand.

Remus took Jack up to his bedroom whilst the others made themselves comfortable in the lounge.

Harry sat on the settee beside his mother. James and Sirius sat on the other side of the room, facing them. Sirius felt a little nervous. An uncomfortable silence fell around them. Neither of them knew where exactly to start.

Harry fiddled with his hands and then ran his hand through his messy, black hair. It betrayed how nervous he was too.

Sirius didn't want to begin. He felt it was James and Lily's responsibility to do so.

Finally Harry spoke, his voice low and quiet. "Why didn't you tell me?"

It wasn't accusatory but it was enough to make guilt rise in Sirius' stomach.

James spoke first. "We wanted to protect you. You deserved your childhood. We were always going to tell you when you were older… especially about the prophecy. We didn't want to burden you with it."

"I think I understand…" replied Harry, "but to find out the way I did…"

"We didn't think Voldemort would reveal so much," answered Lily. "But then we should have been there with you and you wouldn't have been seen. We took a risk and it backfired on us. We were lucky we all managed to get out without any serious injuries."

"Our goal in not telling you was so you could enjoy your childhood," explained James.

"When were you going to tell me?"

"When you were sixteen," admitted Lily quietly. "Voldemort has forced our hand and though you are young, you've seen and know enough that we cannot keep it from you any longer."

Harry nodded. "Okay."

"What do you want to know first?" asked James.

"The prophecy," replied Harry.

Sirius watched carefully, gauging his friend's reactions. This would be a different topic for all of them. He felt somewhat relieved Harry hadn't asked about him first however he also knew his godson was smart. Harry would know the prophecy was one of the things that may have caused Sirius to come back in time; better for Harry to know the contents first before trying to learn more about Sirius' own life and former world.

James cleared his throat, speaking first. "The prophecy was made a few months before you were born. We sided against Voldemort in the war. Your mother and I were already big targets, especially since she was Muggle-born and a pureblood had married her. Numerous offers were made to us to join Voldemort. We refused and we continued to defy him. We faced him three times and defied him three times. When Lily was pregnant with you, Professor Dumbledore came to speak to us and told us Voldemort was targeting you and one other due to a prophecy that had recently been made."

Harry swallowed. "He wanted me dead before I was born?"

Lily nodded. "He did. But we stopped it. James and I went into hiding, only fighting when we had no other choice. Your safety was our priority."

"The prophecy implied you may be the one who would have the power to defeat Voldemort," continued James. "We do know the full prophecy but we would rather not tell you the full contents of it just yet… Safe to say it was the reason why all three of us had to go under the Fidelius Charm for protection."

Harry gnawed his bottom lip. They could see he was deliberating whether he wanted to know the full prophecy or not. "How do you know it meant me when there were plenty of other babies born when I was? I don't need to know the exact wording but how did you know it meant me?"

"We didn't exactly know it was you, Harry," answered Lily, "however you were the most likely. The prophecy said specifically said 'him' meaning a baby boy would be born to parents who had defied him three times, something which your father and I had done. It said they would be born as the seventh month dies… July. You were born five minutes to midnight. Five minutes more and your birth date would have been in August. By that alone, Voldemort assumed the prophecy referred to you more than any other child born at the end of July. He wanted to prevent the prophecy from occurring so vowed to kill you before you could become a threat to him."

"Did it say anything else?" Harry asked quietly, looking up at his father, whilst leaning into his mother.

James hesitated. "It did mention Voldemort would mark the boy as his equal."

"What does that mean?"

James and Lily immediately turned to Sirius who frowned but considering he had known a Harry who'd had this fate it made sense for them to look to him.

"It means there would be a feature on you, a mark, made by Voldemort himself, which would define you as his equal and the one who had the best chance of defeating him for good. The boy would be destined to face Voldemort," explained Sirius quietly. He could tell what was coming.

"Did that… happen? Before you changed stuff?" Harry's timid voice broke through the fog that had suddenly engulfed Sirius' mind.

His shoulders sagged. "Yes." They were now on him. On Sirius' life.

"Voldemort said you had changed time, travelled back and stopped him from attempting to kill me. But later… after dad arrived I heard him say that you had died and come back… Which is it?"

Sirius swallowed. He knew Lily and James would not answer this question. It was directed at him after all. But what could he say? How could he phrase it in a way an eleven year old would understand? He had died and come back but it was more complicated than that. He had died in a future that no longer existed. Or rather had to exist for him to be able to go back in the first place but didn't move forward after his death.

"It's complicated… I think." Sirius finally answered, using the time to consider what to say next. "I have lived a different life before the one I am in now. I remember everything about it. Harry… in the time I came from everything went to shit."

"Sirius!" Lily hissed, her green eyes flashing at him for his swear in front of Harry.

He merely shrugged. "He's heard worse. Besides it is an accurate word to describe my first life."

Lily continued to glare at him but Sirius wasn't fazed.

"Harry, you know the prophecy was the reason your family had to go into hiding when you were a baby and you now know it was to protect you. In my first life… that still happened… but the difference was that your parents were betrayed and they died but you survived."

Harry's eyes widened at the revelation. "What?"

"It was my fault." Even all these years later, remembering that guilt still caused Sirius pain. "I was meant to be secret keeper but I suggested Peter Pettigrew."

"Oh." Harry had long been told about Pettigrew's betrayal of his friends. It had been the one thing that James and Lily had wanted him to know.

"In my first life, he betrayed them and Voldemort killed them. Voldemort tried to kill you but he couldn't. Instead he marked you. Gave you a scar that ensured your destiny was to face him." Sirius' shoulders sagged. "I was meant to raise you but when I wasn't allowed I chased after Pettigrew. He tricked me and vanished into his animagus form. I was thrown into Azkaban for crimes I didn't commit."

"So…" Harry swallowed. He looked shaken. "What happened to me? Did Remus raise me?"

Sirius shook his head. "No. He didn't. You were brought up in the Muggle world."

"By Aunt Petunia? But she hates me!"

Some things never change.

"But she raised you." He wasn't going to enlighten Harry about his life with his Muggle relatives. Not at all. He didn't need to know that. "I did become a part of your life in later years."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "How?"

"I escaped Azkaban when you were thirteen. You saved me." He didn't think Harry really needed to know exact details. "I tried to be there when you needed me to be. I couldn't always be as I was a criminal and on the run. I was innocent but no one ever knew I was, save for the one person I cared about most. You. You protected me despite your young age. I only knew you properly for two years before I died."

A dash of fear washed across the young boy's face. "But if you died how did you come back?"

Sirius shrugged. "I woke up back in 1981 with all my memories. I do not remember the events between this life and my previous one."

"Voldemort knows, doesn't he?" asked Harry quietly.

Sirius nodded. "He does. He knows I died and that I came back in time after that event. He guessed that his adversary was you originally but I've prevented it. I've nullified the prophecy though Voldemort could choose to act upon it still. He could still change his mind…" He pulled up his shirt sleeve, looking at where his blood had been taken. "He's chosen me to be his enemy rather than you for now. The reason I am here is to protect you and to stop you from ever becoming involved."

"I think it's a little too late for that," added James. "We should have known when we learned of the bond between the two of you."

Sirius frowned. "Are you implying what I believe you are?"

The elder Potter nodded. "You didn't have this bond with Harry originally did you?"

Sirius shook his head in confirmation. "No."

"Then it was created when you died."

Which Sirius already knew. His Harry had told him that when he had spoken to him through the Resurrection Stone. "I would assume so." He also knew from his talk with his Harry that it had been James and Lily's actions between worlds that had resulted in the formation of the bond. He wasn't ready to tell either of his friends about that. Truthfully, James and Lily didn't need to know. Sirius couldn't even remember that event but it must have happened. He answered succulently. "I would assume so."

"But why?" queried Lily.

Sirius sighed. "Do you want a theory?"

The others nodded.

"I think it was meant to be used as a means to protect Harry, keep him safe."

"And it did," added Harry. "You saved me when I was little. And you protected me in the graveyard."

Sirius smiled. "I did. But it works both ways. You saved me when you were a baby."

"I know."

Harry's response slightly surprised Sirius. But for Harry to have actively used their bond to get to the graveyard, meant James and Lily had finally explained it to him.

"And if I'm correct in what your father was implying earlier… you're still meant to play an important role in defeating Voldemort… But the burden is more on me, than you."

Harry's lip wobbled. "So I still have to fight?"

"I hope not…" answered Sirius quietly. He didn't want Harry involved but he now was and it seemed James and Lily had already decided on what course to take. There was nothing they could do to change this. Protecting Harry wasn't an option anymore, not after everything that had occurred in the last few days. They could only make sure he was ready for whatever the future threw at him.

Lily breathed out slightly. "But you need to be prepared, Harry." She was pale.

"But we won't force you," said James.

Harry nodded. His next words hardly surprised them. "I want to help."

"Did we make the right choice?" Lily asked softly in the darkness. Both were in bed but neither could sleep. They doubted Harry was either.

"I think we made the decision because we want Harry to be safe but he also needs to know how to defend himself. What Sirius is doing now was once his… In another time… Voldemort may have chosen to focus on Sirius but he knows about the link between them… He knows what Harry could have been and that will only strengthen his resolve to have Harry killed even if he isn't the one to do it…" James explained. "He won't risk attacking Harry himself just in case he makes Harry his enemy. Sirius is different… The prophecy doesn't apply to him so Voldemort has no fear in attacking him."

Lily curled her fingers into her husband's hand. "He's lost his childhood… hasn't he?"

James nodded solemnly. "Yes."

"We can't keep him shielded…"

"No," agreed James. "But at least he's been loved. We'll be there to help him. Both of them." He corrected. "Sirius needs Harry just as much as Harry needs Sirius."

Lily breathed out quietly. "Even if Harry is a part of this… Sirius will protect him."

"He will. He would die for him… Just like we all would."

"I won't stop worrying you know…" whispered Lily.

"Neither will I." He squeezed his wife's hand.

Lily curled up into her husband's embrace. "We'll worry together."

Just down the hall, Harry lay awake in bed, his mind buzzing from all the information he had learned today. His godfather had risked everything to ensure he had grown up with his parents and ensure peace for their world. Harry curled up under his covers. He couldn't sleep.

Under the covers, in the dark, Harry almost wished his parents had not told him the truth. He wanted his innocence back. He had lost it now. Nothing could really be the same again.

But Harry knew what he would have to do. What he needed to do. What was required of him.

"Sirius needs me. I won't let him down." He swallowed. "I won't let him do this alone."

To be continued...

Please let me know what you think!

I think, after everything that happened, Harry was owned an explanation. But he doesn't need to know everything. He just needs to know the basic facts. And he's now got them. Also Harry's role in this story will become more prominent.

The Next Update

I honestly cannot say when I will next update. I'm now at the point of the story where I planned up to. I just don't really know what will happen next though I do know the end of the fic. It's just bridging that point. The next few chapters will probably be short as I start to build towards the end of the story though that is still a way off yet. I hope to post again soon... hopefully within two weeks! Many thanks for the continuing support to this story. It means a lot that everyone is sticking by me!

Until then,

the-writer1988