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Chapter Text

Neville

Neville woke up from another nightmare, sweaty and fighting for breath. Beside him in bed Hannah woke up reaching out to comfort him.

Every morning started the same. Nevile had had the same recurring nightmare ever since he lost his grandmother a few years ago in an attack. The end of war didn't bring peace like they had hoped, It took years to round up Voldemort's sympathizers and they didn’t stop fighting for their lost lord in the meantime. One group of particularly vicious ones had gone on a killing spree, they broke into Longbottom manor killing both his grandmother Augusta and his great uncle Algie as well as the children they had taken in after the war. Neville was supposed to be at home with them at the time and he hated himself for not being there to help. In his nightmares he watches helplessly as each member of his family is killed before he too joins them in death.

"Its okay," Hannah began soothingly "You're alright, you're at home safe and sound."

Nevile took a deep breath and leaned into his wife for comfort. She grounded him each morning the nightmares hit and he truly didn't know what he would do without her. They had become close friends during their last year of school just trying to survive and keep the younger kids safe but after the battle of Hogwarts there was so much chaos and loss that keeping in contact just wasn't possible.

They reconnected a year later at St Mungo's while Nevile was visiting his parents. She was working as an apprentice in training to be a healer. Neville started to visit more often and eventually asked her out, they'd been inseparable ever since.

"Thanks baby" He mumbled into her hair as she held him tightly. When he lets go she reaches up to brush his face and smooth down his bed head before giving him a quick kiss.

"You should get going honey."

Nevile cast a tempus charm groaning at the time, "and you should get back to bed." he says

She smiles and snuggles up back under the blankets.

"Have I ever told you how beautiful, amazing, and perfect you are?" he asks.

Hannah smiles widens "only every day."

Nevile leans down to kiss her again tucking her into the covers, "good, I mean It more each time. I'll see you tonight Love."

He didn’t know it then but that would be the first and only lie he ever told her.

Harry

Harry took a deep breath before entering the leaky cauldron. Tomorrow would be the anniversary of the battle of Hogwarts. Today, like the last few years, he and his friends arranged to meet up to support each other through the memories that always surfaced this time of year.

It was a tradition he both loved and loathed. He loved to see his friends as happy and healthy as they could be, living a life in peace that was hard fought. He hoped one day he'd feel as content as they seemed, able to move on from the trauma of war and the losses they suffered.

Harry still felt stuck in time, like the battle happened just yesterday and the bodies of his dead friends were still warm. He sees their faces everywhere he goes; Fred in George, Colin in Dennis, Remus and Tonks in Teddy, not to mention Sirius, Cedric, Dumbledore and everyone else. It was like he was being personally haunted by each life lost too early. Memories overtook him regularly forcing him to relive his biggest mistakes and regrets.

When he walks in he's relieved to see Luna waiting patiently at a table for two. Harry approaches with a confused look at the small table choice, though he's learned Luna always knows what she's doing and not to outright question anything.

Luna perks up at his approach "Good to see you Harry! It's just us today, the others aren’t able to make it."

"Oh" Harry says slightly disappointed, "I knew about Ron and Mionie what about the others?"

"George is working and Ginny is training."

"And Neville?"

"at school."

"Really?" he asks even more confused. "Did he send you an owl? He hasn't been responding to my letters."

"No the nargles told me"

"Ah" Harry said "Is he alright?"

"Oh yes" she said cheerily, "You ought to go see him"

"You know I can't do that Luna." He replied sadly.

Harry hadn't gone back to Hogwarts since the battle. He tried one year, apparating to Hogsmeade but that was as far as he made it. He spent the rest of the day at home trying to keep his memories at bay.

Luna reached across the table to hold Harry's hand in hers.

"You'll do better this time." she said knowingly.

Harry could never argue with Luna so he promised her he would try.

Neville

Neville found it easy to get lost in his work. Greenhouses were always his safe place. These weren't HIS greenhouses though, he wasn't sure he'd ever truly feel safe at Hogwarts or the Manor ever again.

He had gotten the job through recommendation of professor Sprout. She had really encouraged him to continue his education and pursue a masters in Herbology, he was pretty sure she secretly wanted him to take over her teaching role at Hogwarts though she never outright said what her reasons were. He got as far as applying when the attack happened and he never responded to his acceptance letter. Sprout did her best to continue encouraging him but they both knew he was not in the space for it. She instead got him a quiet job tending gardens with a friend of hers. He was the youngest worker there but quickly became the one others would come to for help taming particularly difficult species.

His typical day involved pruning and watering the various species and putting together orders of potion supplies.

"Mr. Longbottom?" a voice called, he could just barley notice through the ear plugs he wore.

He looked up to see his manager waving him over. He tenderly set the mandrakes comfortably back in their bed of soil and removed his ear coverings on his walk over.

"What do you need Sir?" He asked as he brushed dirt off his trousers

"I need you to deliver an order" the older man said. He held a look of concern like he didn't want to be making the request of him.

"Of course Sir," Neville replied. He didn't run orders often as he was always scheduled in the green houses unless something urgent came up. "where am I going?"

The man almost held his breath as he said "Hogwarts"

"Oh" Nevile exhaled. 

An hour later he found himself in the Hogwarts courtyard just trying not to think about what had happened in this spot years ago. He was greeted by Headmistress McGonagall who looked shocked to see him.

"good evening Mr. Longbottom" she said, "I wasn't expecting you."

"I've got an emergency order for Madam Pomfrey."

McGonagall nodded her head gravely as he passed on the Lavender and peppermint that was requested. "we just can't keep up with all the calming potions the students and teachers need these days."

Neville nodded knowingly, Hannah told him the same about the hospitals staff and clients.

As they're talking Neville can feel his magical core react to something, growing warm and almost comforting him.

"Professor" He begins. McGonagall raises her eyebrow at the moniker. "Sorry," he smiles "force of habit.  Would you mind if I took a walk through the castle?"

"Of course" she says "you're welcome here anytime."

"Thank you"

As he walks he allows his magic to pull him and finds himself heading straight for the room of requirement. With each step he takes his magic swells and envelopes him but something else he can't quite place is there too. Almost like the castle itself is leading him somewhere, promising comfort and safety and peace.

Hannah

When Hannah got home from work to an empty house she was immediately concerned. Neville always got home before her and had dinner ready, somehow knowing exactly when she'd get home even when she was stuck at work late. On the rare occasion he worked late or wasn't going to be home he sent her a patronus to let her know and send his love.

She quickly got her wand out to send a patronus to him but instead of flying off to her husband her swan sadly honked and looked around the room in distress.

She immediately apparated to the greenhouses to look for him.

She landed with a loud crack by the offices and Neville's manager who was working late rushed to her quickly.

"Mrs. Longbottom" he greeted looking confused then growing concern by the look on Hannah's face.

Before he could even think what to ask Hannah frantically speaks  "Neville's not here?"

"No" He says "He ran an order to Hogwarts, I told him to just head home after."

"I see, thank you." she says apparating away to Hogsmeade sparing no thought for the man she left in confusion and concern.

She runs along the familiar path to the castle thinking as she goes that she should probably send a message to one of the professors or Headmistress to request entrance to the castle.

As she crosses onto the castle grounds she immediately is enveloped in an unfamiliar magic that surrounds her and seeps into her core trying to soothe her. She feels as if the magic is trying to offer an apology for her distress, calming her down and assuring her that no harm will come to her or her love.

She had never felt anything like it before but as she feels her core grow to welcome the unfamiliar magic she decides to accept the strange guidance and finds herself walking through an unfamiliar passage leading her into the castle.

Draco

Draco got to work wondering for the millionth time if any of this was even worth it. He didn't need to work as his family's wealth could easily support them for generations to come but the Malfoy name had been damaged during the war and he was intent on bringing it back to glory by trying to do good. The wizarding world however was not ready to grant his desires.

Draco had to prove himself capable ten times more than any other witch or wizard due to the dark scar on his arm that had once marked him as one of Voldemort's followers. He was officially pardoned by the minister of magic following his family's trial but the world as a whole would never be fully welcoming to them again.

After years of making and maintaining connections Draco was finally accepted into Aurors training only to be met with anger and disgust. He knew to expect it, being in Slytherin he had dealt with unwarranted hatred his whole life, but it never really got easier. Some of it he knew he deserved, he never forgot the people he hurt or the choices he made, but he was only a child. No one believed he could be good so why should he even try?

His assignment was as mundane as usual, listening to concerns and fielding them to the appropriate division. Most of his days were filled with people issuing complaints about minor disputes and accidental magic.

"I'd like to file a missing persons report." the man across his desk said as he sat down.

Draco took a deep breath, these never went well for him when they realized who they were reporting to. Many people were hurt or killed by death eaters in the years that followed the Dark Lord's defeat. When people realized they were talking to one it usually ended up with them trying to hex him one way or another.

"Name of the person?" Draco asked pulling out the appropriate form

"Neville and Hannah Longbottom"

Draco paused looking closer at the man he didn’t recognize. This would be a high profile case especially after the attack on the Longbottom's a few years back.

"Last known location?"

"Hogwarts."

That was a shock. Hogwarts was one of the safest places in the wizarding world. After the battle the castle was rebuilt and her protections and wards were strengthened to be greater than even the ministry itself.

"No sign they left?"

The man shook his head "Not that I know of"

"They're probably fine," Draco began, "no one can come to harm anywhere near the castle"

The man shook his head "Something happened. I sent Nevile for a delivery to Hogwarts and hours later Hannah came looking for him. I told her where he went and she apparated away, I haven't been able to reach either of them since."

"When was this?" Draco asked as he took notes on what the man said.

"Two days ago."

Draco nodded "They probably just got caught up reminiscing at school"

The man didn't look convinced and insisted the report be made and filed. Draco completed the form and added it to the pile to be filed at the end of his shift.

Harry

Harry apparated to Hogsmeade shortly after his meeting with Luna. He knew the longer he waited the less he'd want to go, though he could hardly imagine a state of anxiety higher than what he was currently experiencing.

He decided to pop into the three broomsticks and have a quick drink to calm his nerves. To his surprise McGonagall was just leaving the bar as he was approaching.

"Mr. Potter" she said in greeting "What brings you here?"

"I was actually hoping to talk to you."

"I am just on my way back to the castle, would you like to join me?"

Harry looks unsure and he can tell McGonagall is going to make another offer but he answers "Luna says I ought to."

McGonagall smiled and invited him to walk beside her.

"she is usually correct"

They walk in comfortable silence towards the castle, dread mounting slowly within Harry. By the time they reach the castle and go inside Harry feels like he's going to burst tying to fight down his magic and memories. He doesn't want to pull anyone down with him in his panic, it's his punishment to bare.

When they reach the Headmistress's office she conjures up some tea and biscuits and sits down across from him.

"what was it you needed to discuss with me?" she asks

"Have you heard from Neville recently? Luna says he's here but I haven't heard from him in a few days"

"Yes he came with a delivery the other day and then went for a walk around the castle."

"Could he have stayed?" He asked

"Sure but I don't think he did."

She takes her wand out and mutters a spell Harry doesn’t recognize. She purses her lips in thought then shakes her head.

"He's not within the wards."

Harry nods but his concern grows and he knows he won't be able to hold in his magic for much longer.

"Do you mind if I look around?"

"Of course, please let me know when you locate him."

"Thank you, of course." he says leaving her office.

His magic erupts from him as soon as he closes the door behind him. Panic overtaking his mind as he's thrust from memory to memory. Bodies and blood and death. He feels like he can't breath, taking in breath after breath of air but getting no oxygen like he just had gillyweed and was now drowning in air. He collapses on the floor knees up to his chest and tears falling freely from his eyes. He's distantly aware that he's in the hallway at Hogwarts and anyone could find him like this. But even that thought isn't enough to get him away from the onslaught.

He feels his magic explode around him like its searching for something. He feels a warm blanket cover him and is faintly aware that someone somewhere must have found him and is trying to help but before he can think of anything more he slips into unconsciousness.

Draco

When Draco gets into work a few days later the whole place is buzzing with frantic energy. He's quickly waved down by the Head Auror Gawain Robords. Draco held his breath, this couldn't mean anything good for him.

He's pulled into a private office and all the chaos around them goes silent beyond the wards.

Robards stared at Draco assessing him "You filed a missing persons report for Neville Longbottom on Monday?"

"Yes" Draco replied. Of course he was getting in trouble for this, he knew it was too good he didn’t get hexed by the man at the time. "Someone reported that Neville and Hannah went missing, last known location being Hogwarts."

"did they say anything else about the disappearance's?"

"I included everything in the report."

"We received a message from the Headmistress of Hogwarts this morning. She's reported that Harry Potter disappeared from the castle last night."

Draco did his best to contain the scowl that threatened to show at the mention of the famous "boy-who-defeated".

"You're being assigned to the team going to investigate." Robords continued

"what!?" Draco asked shocked.

"you took the initial report thus have insight to the case. You're to report to Mr. Weasley at Hogsmeade immediately for a debrief."

"Yes Sir." Draco said leaving the office in disbelief to head to an apparition point. He knew this was standard, but it had never happened to him. Of fucking course it just had to be Weasley.

When he arrived Weasley was already talking to the gathered group and assigning jobs. He knew Ron had spotted him by the twitch in his eye when they made contact but he continued to ignore Draco until they began their walk up to the castle.

"Stay out of this Draco." Weasley finally says to him.

"Would love to" Draco replied "But Unfortunately my job is to assist in this investigation, a duty I intend to take seriously."

He really would rather leave this to Weasley just for the sake of not having to interact with him in any way, but if he didn't take this opportunity he'd probably have to wait years for another actual assignment.

Ron looked like he wanted to punch him. Draco was pretty sure he was jealous of the punch Granger had given him in their third year.

"If I find out you had anything to do with this-"

Draco interrupted before he could finish his sentence "I see you never grew out of your stupidity weasel. I'm under more scrutiny than nearly anyone else in the wizarding world. I wouldn't be able to get away with sending Potter a postcard without everyone gossiping about it."

Ron huffed in anger, turning his back to Draco and walking towards the castle. Draco waited a few moments to put a barrier between the two of them before following after.

When they arrived at the castle McGonagall was waiting for them to explain her concerns.

"I was watching the wards" she began "the castle surged with magic and he was just gone."

"Could he have just left?" one of the Aurors asked.

McGonagall shook her head, "We created a way to record who enters and exits the wards. It takes some time to generate and sift through but after I couldn't find Harry I went through it. I found that Harry as well as Nevile and Hannah Longbottom entered but never left, yet their presence can no longer be detected within the castle wards."

Draco was deep in thought trying to think of ways one might be able to trick the castle in that way. Back in his sixth year he used the vanishing cabinet to get death eaters through the wards but surely they added some kind of protection to prevent that scenario again.

As his mind ponders the possibilities he feels a pull of magic towards the seventh floor. No one else seems to notice and he knew no one would listen to him anyways so he silently excuses himself from the group and heads in that direction.

As he walks he can feel the magic of the castle reaching out to him and leading him forward urgently. He's never felt something like this before but for some reason he feels confident that the castle is leading him to the mystery of Harry Potter.

When he finds himself at the room of requirement the door is already waiting for him to open. Everyone was under the assumption that the room was destroyed during the battle of Hogwarts when Crabbe cast Fiendfyre ultimately causing his death and nearly Draco's and Goyle's as well. It hasn’t shown up for anyone in years. He walks in tentatively and is surprised to be surrounded by large gears and strange mechanisms. He looks around in confusion before the door disappears plunging him into darkness. He pulls out his wand immediately but before he can even think about what to cast he's surrounded by the clanging of gears and he passes out.

Luna

Luna skipped her way through the castle to the seventh floor where a very frazzled McGonagall stood staring at the painting of trolls doing ballet.

"Good evening professor" Luna said as she approached.

McGonagall raised her eyebrows at the strange witch. "Good evening Ms Lovegood. I don’t suppose you know whats been going on?"

Luna stepped forward pressing he palm against the stone and letting her magic flow into the castle. She smiled as she felt the magic of the castle welcoming her home.

"Do not worry professor" She says as the door appears before them. "All will be well in time."

McGonagall looks to the door in shock but doesn't have time to question anything before Luna walks into the room closing the door behind her.

Chapter Text

Hannah

Hannah awoke to a knock on her door. She sat up confused, who would be knocking inside their home? Before she could conjure up any thoughts about what was going on her childhood bedroom door opened and in the doorway stood her mother. Her mother who had been dead since her sixth year. Her mother who was murdered by death eaters. Her mother who she mourned and grieved every day since she lost her. Her Mum.

Tears came quickly to her face as she stared at the women in front of her.

"Hannah?" her mom asked in concern coming towards her and enveloping her in a hug "Whats wrong dear are you alright?"

Hannah just sobbed holding her mother tightly never wanting to let go again.

"Its okay dear your safe, mums here. Did you have a nightmare?"

Hannah takes a deep breath trying to calm her nerves and figure out whats going on.

"something like that." she says as her mother brushes her hair through her fingers. The feeling almost makes her burst into tears again but the memory of how she got here, or rather how she doesn't know she got here, flashes through her mind. She was looking for Neville and the school had lead her to the room of requirement. She hadn't been there since their DA meetings in seventh year. It didn't look like how she remembered and she recalled wondering why the school thought she needed to be inside what appeared to be a giant clock when everything got so loud and she had passed out.

Whatever happened to her must have also happened to Neville. Maybe he was here with her, wherever she was.

"Can you get me some parchment please mum?" she asked her voice a little hoarse.

"Of course dear, you going to send a letter?"

Hannah nodded and her mom left to grab some supplies.

Hannah thought about what to send in a letter, if she was wrong she didn’t want to scare eleven year old Neville. She racked her brain for some way to communicate, wondering idly if she would be able to cast a patronous charm of if she'd have to relearn somehow then the perfect thought occurred to her. She knew exactly what she was going to send.

Neville

Neville woke up slowly like he was coming to himself in pieces. He tossed and turned in his bed with an unease that told him something was wrong. The bed wasn't quite right yet it was so familiar to him at the same time, something - no someone was missing. Hannah. He bolted upright in bed looking for her but when his eyes adjusted and he got a look around he found himself in his old room at the manor. He reached to his bedside table where he used to keep his wand when he slept but it was nowhere to be found.

Getting out of bed he stumbled over his feet. Something felt off, he felt a lot shorter than he was used to. Stumbling over to his mirror he got a look at himself, or rather his eleven year old self.

He waved his hand around trying to test the reflection but when he took a closer look at himself and his hand reached to his face that still had his chubby cheeks and big ears he had yet to grow into he paled.

The last thing he remembered was going to Hogwarts and feeling a pull towards the room of requirement then the sound of gears turning and slow ticking.

Getting dressed he tried to think about what he should do. Realistically, this was all a dream and he could wake up anytime. If it wasn't a dream… well he wasn't looking forward to reliving over a decade of his life if that was the case.

Heading downstairs for breakfast he's greeted with the smell of fresh pancakes and bacon. Sitting at the table already are his Grandmother and Great Uncle Algie.

"Good morning Neville" his Grandmother says

"Morning Granny" he replies blearily. Shocked to see her even though this is surely just a dream.

"Your letter should be arriving today I believe"

"Still a chance he's deemed a squib" his uncle adds grumpily "barely any magic in the boy."

"No need to be rude Algie"

Neville just stares at him. They never had a great relationship but he didn’t remember it being quite that bad. His uncle looked taken aback by his look and he realized at eleven he would have never behaved like that. He was shy and timid and would just stare at his feet, it wasn't until Hogwarts that he started to come into himself more.

Algie looked like he wanted to say something but they were interrupted by the flutter of owls bringing them mail. One owl had clearly come from the Ministry carrying some documents for his grandmother as well as his Hogwarts letter. The other owl was one he didn't recognize, it came directly to him and passed him an unlabelled letter.

He looked at it in confusion, he didn’t recall receiving anything like this on the day he got his Hogwarts letter originally. He was starting to think this wasn't a dream, but what could be the alternative? He tentatively opened it up trying not to draw the attention of his family around the table. When he saw the little drawing of a swan inside he let out a shallow gasp as he began to quietly cry. He wasn't alone.

After trying to exude excitement over his Hogwarts letter he excused himself from the table to reply to the only letter he actually cared about. It had to be his Hannah that sent it. He quickly wrote up a response to send back.

My Swan,

Are you alright? I will arrange to see you as soon as possible.

Forever and always,

Your Lion

Not even an hour later the owl returned with another letter for him; 

My Lion,

I am fine and hope to hear the same of you. We have much to discuss.

Along with this letter you will receive a formal invitation to join my family for dinner tomorrow night.

Looking forward to your embrace,

Your Badger

He heaved a sigh of relief knowing she was here with him and safe, he couldn't wait until he could see her. 

My Love,

I am alright now knowing you are with me. 

We accept your invitation and look forward enjoying your company.

Never letting go,

Your Edelweiss

Hannah

Her mother was confused when Hannah asked to have the Longbottom's join them for dinner. She was a shy kid and mostly only talked to her best friend Susan. At least until Hogwarts, then she started being friendly with her fellow Hufflepuffs. It wasn't until fifth year and their crazy DADA professor that she started developing friendships with the other students.

"We got talking the other day in Diagon Alley" She began, she vaguely remembered her family going fairly regularly to the alley and hoped her mother wouldn't ask for too many details about their supposed meet up. "I love Susan but what if we're not in the same house? I think it would be good to have a few more friends."

Hannahs mother pulled her into a hug kissing the top of her hair. "I think that’s a wonderful idea darling" she said.

When the Longbottom's were scheduled to arrive through the floo Hannah and her mum were waiting in the living room. Augusta arrived first followed by her brother and Neville. It took everything in her for Hannah to not immediately run and hug him but that would take so much explaining she wasn't ready for, and frankly didn't even know how to begin. They exchanged pleasantries and the children were excused to play somewhere while the adults talked. Hannah lead Neville to her childhood bedroom and closed the door. She did her best to cast a wandless silencing charm on the room, it was acceptable all things considered. She had really started to regret not practicing more with wandless magic but really how was she supposed to think to prepare for a situation like this.

When she turned around to face Neville he was smiling at her so wide and she couldn’t help but return it. He practically pounced at her hugging her tightly and kissing her forehead as they both fell to their knees content to just sit in each others embrace.

They sat with their back to the wall as close to each other as was physically possible hands entwined.

"When did you wake up here?" Neville asked her

"Yesterday morning, you?"

"Same."

"What happened to you?" She asked

"I'm not really sure." He began, "I was at Hogwarts and I felt my magic reacting to something. I remember heading to the room of requirement and the sound of ticking or something, next thing I knew I'm waking up in my childhood bed."

Hannah listened intently and nodded her head, "Same for me essentially. You weren't home when I got back from work and I got worried." Neville squeezed her hand tightly in apology. "I talked to your manager and apparated to Diagon Alley, when I got closer to the school I got this feeling like everything would be ok. I'm not sure how to explain it but it was calming in a way and felt like it was leading me to you. Next thing I knew I was in the room of requirement. It was like walking into a giant clock."

"Did someone cast a some kind of spell on us?"

Hannah pondered that for a moment "I'm not sure, its very complicated whatever it is. I thought it was a memory at first but I'm starting to doubt that theory."

"It would be way too complicated to put us both in the same memory with control of our younger bodies."  Nevile agreed.

"Yeah, and the fact we seem to have access to our mature magical cores."

Neville blushed "Do we?"

Hannah smiled at him "I can do some minor spells without a wand, not much but enough to test my magic. Try to reach your core I bet you its not the one you had at eleven."

Neville closed his eyes and focused on the magic flowing inside him, the power he felt was a little different than he remembered but certainly not what would be expected of a first year wizard.

"Do you think…" He began but struggled to voice his fear "We're actually back in time?"

Hannah pursed her lips, "It shouldn’t be possible, but I'm not sure what else to think."

"well fuck" Neville said causing Hannah to laugh

"At least if we have to do it all over again I have you this time." she said

Neville smiled and pressed their foreheads together. "I wouldn't be able to do it without you."

"we should probably wait to tell our families we're married."

Neville burst into laughter "Probably"

Harry

Harry work up in an unfortunately familiar closet. He groaned to himself in recognition, he hated getting these flashbacks. So much had happened to him since his years at the Dursley's but that didn’t make reliving these memories any easier. He sat up as much as he could and waited for when he would be let out.

About half an hour later he heard footsteps above him and heavy footfalls down the stairs. His closet door was opened and he was greeted by the perpetually angry face of his uncle Vernon.

"Enough sleeping in" he grumbled "get going on breakfast now."

Harry internally rolled his eyes, he's not the one who chooses when to wake up. He knew better than to say anything though. Whenever he went "off script" in these dreams they would start again until he lived through them exactly as he remembered.

Crawling out of his bed he stumbled over his feet and fell over unable to find his balance. He stared at the floor in confusion, that had never happened before. Vernon growled and kicked him telling him to stop being lazy and get going.

Harry gasped at the pain as old bruises and cuts flared at the impact. Something was very wrong here, he could feel his magic start to swell around him in protection. That had definitely never happened before. Harry tentatively reached into his core and was greeted with an unfamiliar magic that was practically begging to be released. Harry decided to let it out slamming all the doors in the house and shoving his uncle off his feet.

"What the hell do you think your doing you unnatural waste of space-" Vernon was cut off from his tirade when an owl flew in from an open window depositing a letter directly into Harry's hands. Vernon was speechless, for once, looking at the spectacle before him.

Harry looked down at the letter addressed to him. He quietly cast a wandless tempus charm and read the date over several times

July 24th 1991

"Fuck" Harry said aloud.

Draco

Draco woke up in a panic unable to move or open his eyes. This was unfortunately a common occurrence, his mind trapping him within his body. He would wake up eventually he just had to wait it out, struggling always made it worse. Right on cue he could hear footsteps and whispers, the cold touch of a hand brushing against his face, and the murmur of a curse flooding his eyes with a bright green light.

Finally able to move he opens his eyes taking in deep breaths of air. Usually the panic settles by the time he orients himself in his room but this time something is wrong. Looking around nothing is where it should be. His room still full of posters and toys that he removed long ago. Reaching for his wand that was no where to be found he gasped as he caught sight of his left arm under his sleeve.

He had to be dreaming still, that was the only possibility. But even that wasn't truly a possibility. Voldemort wanted to ensure that his followers would never forget their promise to their Lord. Their mark appeared in every dream and memory even if they had not yet pledged themselves at the time. Even when he finally died and his magic could no longer maintain their marks he ensured the burning scar that was left in its place would be a reminder of their unforgivable failure.

Draco tried to steady his breathing as he lifted the sleeve up revealing a perfectly plain pale arm. He heaved in relief, whatever was happening to him didn't matter yet, he was free. Even if only for a short time he could pretend that cursed mark had never tainted his skin or mind. 

Harry

Harry did not wait around to let his aunt and uncle lock him up for his magical outburst. Whatever was going on was not one of his usual episodes and he did not feel like waiting around to see how much pain he could take again. He walked out the door while his uncle shouted profanities at him and he left the Dursley's for good.

He wished he had done this when he was younger but he couldn’t really blame his eleven year old self. He was just a kid and had no idea that any of what was going on was wrong and even if he did he had nowhere else to go. This Harry did though. He was incredibly thankful he continued to practice wandless magic after the war ended. He barely needed a wand for anything anymore though it certainly made things easier sometimes. He cast a glamour on himself so no one would question why an eleven year old 'Boy-Who-lived" was wandering Diagon Alley alone then apparated to the shopping plaza.

His first stop was Gringotts to get some money from his family's vaults. He really hoped he'd be allowed access. He was sure the goblins had some way of verifying his identity even without his wand or real face. If he had to explain his situation to the goblins he'd be honest, which honestly meant he didn't know much of anything at all. He trusted the goblins to keep a secret if it came to it though.

Absolute worst case he's seek out the Weasley's. They would take him in no doubt but the questioning would be a headache he didn’t want to deal with just yet.

Harry approached the counter at the back of the hall for high security vaults. He got a lot of strange looks but he ignored them. A pair of goblins followed behind him surely expecting to have to escort him out of the bank. When he reached the desk the goblin sitting didn't even look up from his paper work. Harry expected that. Bowing his head slightly he greeted the goblin, "Peace to you".

The goblin dropped his quill and looked up in shock. It was rare for witches and wizards to greet them with respect.

"Peace to you" the goblin replied. "What can I assist you with today?"

"I request access to my family vault"

"Very well may I request your wand for verification?"

"My apologies sir but I do not have one at the moment." The Goblin raised his eyebrow at that. "I am willing to consent to a test of my magical signature with the caveat that my identity remains a secret to all who are not required to see the results."

The goblin looked like he wanted to dismiss Harry but was too intrigued to completely disregard him. He waved off the two goblins still waiting behind Harry and motioned for him to follow. The goblin lead him to a cozy office and invited him to sit. As soon as Harry walked through the doors of the office his glamour was removed.

The goblin looked shocked for a moment but composed himself, "May I presume you are requesting access to the Potter Vaults?"

"Yes Sir. I hope my age won't complicate things for you."

"Nonsense. Though I do have some questions for you if you would allow such things?"

"I regret to say I'm here for answers myself, but I am willing to answer any questions I am able to."

"Very well, I look forward to our conversation" the goblin said as he opened a drawer pulling out a blank piece of parchment, he muttered something and waved his hand over the page. "Please place a drop of blood at the bottom of this page. You may feel an uncomfortable tug on your core, please do not fight it, its perfectly normal"

"Understood" Harry nodded as he pricked his finger with wandless magic and let it drop on the page before healing it.

Harry felt magic surround him as the page glowed with a faint white light. In seconds the page was filed with fresh writing.

The goblin read over the results growing more confused with each line. "Well this is interesting indeed" He said as he passed the page over to Harry.

Name

Harry James Potter

Born

July 31st 1980 (alternate timeline)

Parents

Lily Jane Potter Nee Evans (Deceased)

James Fleamont Potter (Deceased)

Guardians

Frank and Alice Longbottom - God Parents (Deceased)

Sirius Black - God Father

Severus Snape - God Father

Peter Pettigrew - God Father

Remus Lupin - God Father

Titles 

Lord Potter

Lord Peverell

Lord Hogwart

Heir Black

Heir Prince

Master of Death

Master of Magic

Master of Time

"Alternate timeline." Harry reads aloud. He looks at the goblin now sitting at his desk deep in thought. "have you ever seen that before?"

"No" the goblin says and Harry looks dejected "but I believe it has happened once before."

"When?"

"I regretfully do not know, I will have to do some research." the goblin says in thought "Your titles are even more unusual however"

Harry reads over the page again in silence, not sure where to begin.

"May I ask" the Goblin starts "What circumstances led you to this timeline as it says?"

"I'm not sure" Harry shakes his head "I don't really remember anything, sorry."

"It's likely your 'Master of Time' title provided the magic to bring you here, though I've never seen any of those titles myself."

"What are the chances of finding a way back to my timeline?"

"Low I'm afraid. This is completely unknown magic its unlikely you'd be able to recreate it not knowing how it triggered in the first place."

Harry sighs "I'm really not looking forward to having to redo everything."

"I'm not sure the typical time travel rules are going to apply for you here."

"What do you mean?"

"You traveled into your younger body from what I understand?" Harry nodded "That’s not how its supposed to work, travelers don’t replace themselves in time they simply visit. Not to mention it must be more than a couple days you've returned from?"

Harry nodded thoughtfully. When He and Hermione used the time turner in third year they saw themselves and he was sure several years would be an impossible jump.

"Your back in your younger self with knowledge of future. Us goblins know some of what is to come in the next couple years, perhaps you are here to change it?"

Harry thought about the war and everyone he lost who must still be alive in this timeline. Isn't this exactly what he had been praying for? A chance to fix his mistakes and save those he couldn’t before. As much as he wanted it the thought of having to really re live it all was terrifying. Though, the goblin was right, he had knowledge now that he didn't until his seventh year last time. Perhaps he could prevent the war from staring in the first place.

Harry spent at least an hour in the office with the goblin discussing various theories and confirming what Harry knew of the world to ensure nothing obvious was different from this world to his previous timeline. The goblin had given Harry an enchanted pouch that would allow him unlimited access to the contents of his vault. All he had to do was place his hand into the bag and think of what he would like to retrieve and it would appear. He had explained that it wouldn’t work for larger items but any coins or books should be easy to request that way.

"I am going to look into any documents that may inform us on your situation. I will send you an owl if I find anything or urgent importance otherwise please ask for me in a weeks time and I will share what I have found."

"My deepest apologies" Harry begins bowing his head "I regretfully never requested you name"

"I am known as Argos in this language." The goblin said holding his hand out for Harry to shake "You do yourself a great service by the way you show me respect, I wish to return the gesture in kind"

"Thank you Sir." He said shaking Argos' hand.

"I look forward to our continued correspondence"

"likewise" Harry said smiling.

With that Harry reapplied his glamour and followed Argos back out to the main area of the bank. They said their goodbyes and Harry made his way over the Leaky Cauldron for a much needed meal and place to stay. If this was an opportunity to make changes he would start with never going back to the Dursleys.

Chapter Text

Harry

Harry sat in his room at the Leaky Cauldron notebook in hand watching people walk about below him. He wondered absently how many of those people had died in his previous timeline and how many of them chose to follow the dark lord and his ideals.

Harry was making a list of all the people he wanted to save. It wasn't going well, he had only made it to four people before he started crying and had to stop to break. It all was too overwhelming, there was far too much he had to do he couldn't possibly do it himself. He wanted more than anything to talk to Ron and Hermione, they always helped turn his crazy ideas into actual workable plans and kept him grounded. He was trying to think about how he could meet them but he worried if he tried to meet them earlier in this timeline that he'd somehow mess up and they wouldn't want to be his friends. Harry knew everything about them, their dreams, fears, and scars though they hadn't acquired them yet. But to them, Harry was just a stranger. How could he possibly explain all that to them.

Harry was pulled from his thoughts by a knock at his door. He wondered idly what the caretaker needed from him, he was pretty sure he was paid up for the week. unbothered he cast another glamour on himself just to be sure he was covered bu when he opened the door he was met with the tall stature of one Rubeus Hagrid.

"Yer not 'Arry Potter" the half giant said.

"shit" Harry said without thinking, "Hello Hagrid."

Hagrid just stared at him clearly examining his magical signature. Harry wasn't sure how Hagrid was capable of locating him but he had done the same thing back before his first year. Hagrid had somehow found him all the way in that cabin the Dursleys had sequestered to to avoid the onslaught of letters coming in. Harry chuckled a little at the thought, perhaps the half giant was more capable of keeping secrets than he let on.

"Please come inside" Harry said gesturing for the half giant to follow him. Hagrid looked unsure so Harry continued "I will show you who I am but I'd really like it to remain a secret for now if that’s acceptable to you."

Hagrid took a tentative step forward "If ye'v harmed the boy in any way yeh'll be sorry"

"That seems fair"

When Hagrid was standing in the room and closed the door behind him Harry cast a wandless silencing charm on the room. Hagrid looked impressed then his face fell when Harry dropped his glamour and the eleven year old Harry Potter was standing in front of him.

"Whats goin on 'Arry? Yer s'posed to be with yer family."

Harry's gaze turned sharp "The Dursleys are not my family."

"How d'you know how to cast that kin o' magic? And without a wand and all?"

"Forgive me Hagrid but I can't tell you yet, you don't have great track record for keeping secrets."

"Wha' d'you know tha'? Las time I saw ya ye was a wee baby"

"I have an ability of sorts" Harry said timidly "Allows me to know things I shouldn't"

"Like a seer?"

"Not quite"

Hagrid crossed his arms "this is starting to sound quite spicious 'Arry"

"If I can tell you something that no one except maybe Dumbledore knows, can you promise to trust me at least for a little while?"

"Better be summat good, as you said I don' have many secrets."

"You were expelled from Hogwarts in 1943 after your acromantula was accused of being the cause of Myrtle Warren's death." Hagrid narrowed his eyes but Harry wasn't finished "But it wasn't Aragog, it was Tom Riddle and the Slytherin's basilisk."

Hagrid clenched his umbrella wand at his side "How d'you know tha name?"

"Please Hagrid. Trust me, just for a little while"

"Are you working with him?"

"With Voldemort!?" Harry asks incredulously "Of course not."

"I won' tell nobody fer now, but yeh start doin anything spicious and I'm goin to Dumbledore."

Harry nodded "fair enough, thank you Hagrid."

Harry reached for his jacket and headed to the door "Now I believe you came to help me with some school shopping?"

Hagrid lit up clapping Harry on his shoulders. "It's me job to introduce yer to the alley."

"Well lets get cracking then." Harry could not wait to see Hedwig again.

Draco

As much as Draco tried to get his parents to pick a different day to take him to Diagon Alley they insisted that their plans could not be altered. And since Draco could give them no real reason why he wanted to switch so badly he had no choice. It was probably for the best anyway, despite his initial relief of being free of the dark mark he was starting to think this with his punishment not his peace. Everything he knew about time travel said that nothing could ever be changed, the timeline was what it was and any big shifts could cause catastrophe.

Instead of being free from his sins he would be forced to recommit them all to ensure that the Dark Lord fell yet again at the hands of Harry Potter.

He really wasn't ready for this. It was hard enough to get through all their social events at home, seeing the faces of people he watched torture and kill people in the very rooms they were pleasantly chatting about nothing. His only solace was knowing that the worst of them were in still in Azkaban.

As soon as the storefronts came into view Draco was shocked to see everything exactly as it was all those years ago. The memory of it in flames with windows boarded up and bodies strewn on the ground kept creeping in and he did everything he could to push it down.

Draco's parents left him at Madame Malkin's robes to get fitted while they continued their shopping. This was the moment he was dreading the most, at any moment Harry Potter would be right next to him scorning his attempted offer of friendship. He'd have to act the part, if Harry decided to be his friend it would unravel everything before it could even start.

Soon enough there he was, the golden boy at eleven. Draco stared in shock, this wasn't the boy he remembered. He was far too skinny and the places where his skin was showing were covered in bruises and scars. His hair was as unkept as usual but his trademark round glasses were no where to be found. Were they really this young when they let one bad interaction define their relationship forever? Draco could have been nicer but Weasley was his own kind of cruel right back.

Harry returned his stare but said nothing as the witch took their measurements.

Draco panicked and tried to remember what they talked about the first time around.

"Hogwarts?" He asked

"yes, you?"

"yes, I'm going to be sorted into Slytherin. You don't really know until you get there of course but my whole family has been Slytherins for generations, I think I'd just leave if I got placed in Gryffindor. You?" Draco was pleased, It probably wasn't quite right but he tried to put as much of his snobby energy into it as possible.

"Me too."

Draco gets ready to go on another tirade about half bloods and muggleborns or something like that but when his brain finally registers what they boy next to him said he splutters. "what?" He asks sure he just misheard.

"What?" Harry asks seemingly just as confused. "I'm going to be a Slytherin too"

"But you’re a Gryffindor"

"Am I?" Harry asks as a smirk creeps onto his face "What makes you so sure?"

Draco studies him, it would be just his luck that his Harry Potter would be here too.

"Don't mess with me Potter" he says emotions threatening to leak through his carefully constructed mask "If this is some kind of prank I swear-"

"Malfoy" Harry cuts him off and that confirms it. Draco never told him his name, and Potter was not shocked that he knew his name either,  "Whatever's happening to us I'm just as clueless" Potter continued.

"I'm not clueless" Draco starts indignant.  "Just because you haven't figured anything out doesn’t mean I-"

"Draco" Harry cuts off again and Draco is shocked to hear his first name come out of Potters mouth. "Can we just talk about this? please?"

Draco weighs his options and decides they ought to at least talk about it, if only to get it through his thick skull that they can't go making crazy changes like switching houses. Not that Harry had any hope of being sorted into Slytherin anyway. As much as he wished he could change things they simply couldn't risk it, not without knowing more. 

~

Both boys arrange for their robes to be picked up in a couple of days and choose an inconspicuous spot to talk outside. Harry casts a notice me not and silencing spell on them both and Draco is silently impressed that he does it without even reaching for his wand.

"What do you remember from before?" Harry asks getting right to it

"People were looking for you I think." He starts "Some people had gone missing at Hogwarts and we were assigned to investigate."

"Aurrors?" Harry asked and Draco nodded, "Who else was missing?"

Draco scoured his thoughts but it was like a haze was covering parts and he couldn't reach them. "I can't remember, its like its blurry or something."

"Me too." Harry said "But that means we might not be alone here."

"Or that whoever cast the spell on us doesn't want us to know who they are." Draco rebuttals. Such a Potter move to assume everything will work in his favour.

"What else do you remember?"

"Weasley was being a prick as usual" Draco pauses for Harry's scoff that comes right on cue "Something lead me to the room of requirement, it was full of these giant gears. Everything went dark and I woke up on the day my letter arrived." Harry stood there lost in thought.

"Any of that sounding familiar?" He asked starting to grow frustrated that he was the only one sharing information. That was not like him at all.

"Not exactly." Harry finally spoke. "I was at Hogwarts but I don't remember why, it had to be something serious otherwise I wouldn't be there. I was talking with McGonagall I think but I had-" Harry pauses looking at Draco cautiously. "I had to leave" he finishes "I don't know what happened after that, I woke up to my letter at the Dursley's." He says the name with a sneer. "left that shitshow pretty quick."

Draco is lost in thought but quickly snaps back "What do you mean you left!?"

"I mean I left, walked away." Harry says as he mimes the motion with his fingers.

"You have to go back." Draco says and Harry narrows his eyes "Don't you know anything about the dangers of time travel? We have to stick as close to the timeline as possible or you could mess everything up!"

"I am NOT letting things happen the same way again Malfoy." For some reason he can't understand, Draco feels sad that Potter went back to using his family name.

"What? Being the saviour last time wasn't enough for you?"

"I'm not leaving all those people to die again." Harry said growing more agitated. "You can't seriously tell me you want to repeat EVERYTHING" he continues gesturing at his arm that once held the dark mark.

Draco clutched it against his chest "We don’t know enough about whats going on. We can't risk making everything worse!"

Harry glares at him

"Even Benji Howard?"

Draco pales and falls to his knees. Harry is not supposed to know that name, no one is supposed to know his greatest shame.

In order to receive their mark each death eater is given a task they must complete to prove their commitment to their lord. For Draco, that was a ten year old boy named Benji Howard. A boy who without the rule of Voldemort would have found out in a years time that despite being born to non magical parents he was a wizard.

Voldemort had assigned Draco to kill Dumbledore in his sixth year but before that Draco had to prove that he was capable of completing such a task.

"I didn't have a choice." Draco says though heavy breaths

"You have one now." Harry says pleadingly "You don't have to make the same mistakes."

"Its not that easy" Draco says through sobs vaguely aware that Harry kneels down in front of him. "I can't change."

"I don't believe fate is set like that."

"Oh please!" Draco shouts "You were always going to be the saviour, everyone worshiped the ground you walked on."

Harry laughed at that "Are you serious? In our second year I was the evil heir of Slytherin, fourth I was an attention seeking lunatic, fifth I was a liar, and seventh I was a wanted a criminal. You know just to name a few."

Draco stayed silent.

"You're wrong about me in a lot of ways Malfoy, but worst is how wrong you are about yourself."

"You don’t know me"

"Oh trust you are a stuck up aristocratic snob, but you're also infuriatingly talented at potions, a charismatic leader, obnoxiously clever, and fiercely loyal." Draco twitched and Harry went on "And I don't mean to that snake face idiot. Your family bond is the strongest I've ever seen."

Draco finally looks up at Harry with tears in his eyes. The other boy staring back at him with a fierce look that showed he meant every word sincerely.

"Why are saying all that?"

"Theres good in you Draco, you just have to embrace it."

Their moment is interrupted by Draco's mother calling for him. Draco quickly rubs at his eyes to wipe away the tears and stands up brushing the dirt from his robes, doing the best he can to compose himself.

He takes a deep breath and looks away from Harry, "Go be the hero somewhere else Potter, you can't fix this."

Draco walks away.

Hannah

After their dinner Hannah and Neville were inseparable sending letters to each other constantly.  Nevilles grandmother was thrilled that he had a friend and allowed them to hang out as much as they wanted as long as it didn't interfere with their family responsibilities. To them that meant Neville was over practically every day. They spent most of their time in their families libraries trying to find anything they could about time travel.

There were lots of accounts of Witches and Wizards using time turners and ultimately not making any difference. Every account was filled with warnings about not making any changes and most importantly not attempting contact with the other version of themselves. There was nothing about travelers who take over their younger selves.

They were forced to take a break from their research one day when Hannahs friend Susan came over to visit.

Susan was really more like family that a friend since they grew up together. During the first wizarding war Susan lost her parents and was taken in by her Aunt Amelia. When Hannahs father died only a year later her Mum and Amelia got really close. Since then Susan and Hannah became a pair one rarely seen without the other, sisters in all but blood.

It took Susan less half an hour before she was questioning them.

"How long have you two been dating?"

"What?" Hannah asks looking to her in shock.

"It can't have been long" Susan says rubbing her chin in thought "You couldn't keep a secret like that from me but your acting like an old married couple so spill it."

Hannah and Neville look to each other, silently communicating with their eyes.

Neville just shrugs "We were going to have to tell someone eventually."

Hannah turned to Susan and just said it straight "We're from the future"

Susan nodded and gestured for her to go on "Explain"

"We're not sure how or why. We just woke up in our younger bodies on the day we got our Hogwarts letters."

"So are you together in the future then?"

Hannah and Neville both blush as she says "we are in fact an old married couple"

Susan squeals and practically jumps at them pulling them both into a group hug "I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks Sue" Hannah says pulling her into a tight hug. She was so happy to have her sister by her side.

"Tell me everything!" Susan said excitedly, "whats the future like?"

Hannah paled and Neville took her hand to offer comfort.

"Its bad isn't it?" Susan said growing somber "The way you talked to your mum and my Aunt, something happens to them doesn't it?"

Hannah just nods as tears start to fall from her eyes. Neville pulls her into his embrace. "I can-" he says gently but stops when he sees Hannahs gentle head shake. She squeezes his hand and takes a steadying breath.

"I got this, thanks honey." she says. Nevile smiles and kisses the top of her head. "There is a second war, its mostly over by the end of our time at Hogwarts but it never really stopped. Mum and Amelia were killed in our sixth year by Voldemort and his followers."

"Oh Hann, I'm so sorry." She paused in thought, her mind clearly cycling through a million and one questions to ask them as she often does. "You two graduated right?" She asks as she goes to grab a book from the library shelves. She flips through the book of spells and turns the page to them. "Can you cast this? Aunty says they use it in meetings to record conversations."

Hannah looks it over and nods "I'm not great without a wand but I think I can manage this, seems simple enough"

"Good, you ought to have a record of everything you remember. The longer you wait the more you're going to forget."

"Good idea." Neville says "Every time we tell the story we'll likely lose bits and pieces."

Hannah casts the spell and a parchment and quill appear before them taking note of each word as they go into detail about their past

Neville

After two days of going over everything they could remember from their first time at Hogwarts and the years that followed Hannah and Neville were finally content that they had covered anything and everything they could. There was so much they didn't know about the war as a whole which worried him immensely. If they really were stuck here they'd have to go through all that again.

Susan had taken it upon her solve to solve the mystery of how they got here, she had pages and pages splayed on the floor all around her comparing notes between both their stories.

"Both of you got here through Hogwarts right? The room of requirement?"

"Yeah" Hannah started "Neville and I both got lead there somehow."
"and what exactly is the room? You've used it before but I don't really understand."

"It’s a hidden room" Neville explained "Takes the shape of whatever the occupant needs."

"So the room decided you needed to travel?"

Neville thought about it "I guess so, I've never though about the room as having it own needs but it did kind of feel like the school was guiding me there."

"Me too. I felt my magic react to the castle and it felt like I was being comforted."

"Some people have theorized that Hogwarts has a will of its own, maybe it needs something from you?"

"I wish it would be more clear about what exactly that was." Neville sighed leaning back against the wall.

"We should go to the room of requirement, if it really did send us here somehow maybe we can find some answers there." Hannah said

"Its our best plan of action I think" Susan agrees

"So what do we do in the meantime?" Neville asks

Susan and Hannah look to each other exchanging a look. Neville knew that look well and it usually meant bad news for him. Once those two get an idea in their head their was no stopping them.

"Shopping" Susan said

"We need to get you a new wand."

~

"My Gran is never going to agree to this" Neville said for the hundredth time as the three of them walked around Diagon Alley collecting all their school supplies.

"Stop worrying Neville" Susan said "We have a perfect plan."

Hannah just smiled at him in the way that made his heart melt. He wanted so badly to hold her hand but they agreed it was best to wait at least a year before they started PDA. To everyone around them they were two eleven year old kids who basically just met, they would not risk the adults in their life questioning or separating them.

"The hard part was getting your Gran to come with us, it's smooth sailing from here." Susan said nothing but confidence in her voice.

The three of them, though mostly Susan, had convinced their guardians to change their shopping plans to allow them to all come together. Naturally, Susan and Hannah were already planning to go together, but Neville had to get his Gran to adjust her plans. They had expected her to be stubborn and set in her ways like she often was but she agreed to the adjustment rather quickly. Neville really discounted how happy she was to see him have a group of friends, though it Inadvertently seemed to make her certain that he would be sorted into Hufflepuff. It clearly upset her a bit at first seeing as she always hoped he would be sorted into Gryffindor like his parents but seeing him come out of his shell overrode that desire. Neville knew exactly where he'd be sorted and he was almost worried it would give her a heart attack when she found out.

Finally they made it to Olivander's and the group entered the shop.

"Welcome, welcome" the old Wizard said carrying boxes out of the back rooms. "Three students looking to get their first wand for Hogwarts I presume?"

"My Neville will not require a purchase today Olly, he'll be using his fathers wand."

"Ah yes I remember it well, such a powerful wand for a powerful wizard, do you have it with you now?"

Neville nodded and pulled it out of his pocket to show the old wizard.

"May I?" Olivander asks taking it in his hands. "Such a stubborn beauty, much like yourself" he says turning to Augusta. She rolls her eyes but a small smile creep onto her face. Nevile did not see that coming, he'd really rather not know the details of his Grans love life and vowed to forget it.

"It works well for you?" Olivander asks

"I haven't tried." Neville said sheepishly trying to channel the shy demeanor he had at eleven.

"Well give her a whirl!

Neville takes the wand back and casts Lumos. A dim white light appears at the tip and quickly fades.

"Madame Longbottom I dare not overstep but may I request Mr. Longbottom here try the same spell with a different wand?"

Augusta thought on it a moment then conceded "If you believe it is necessary"

"Wait right here dear" He says as he walks behind the counter looking through buried boxes. "Ah ha!" He finally shouts blowing dust off an ancient looking ornate box. "Try this one"

Neville tentatively grasps it and immediately feels his magic sing in response. Olivander looks absolutely thrilled and encourages him to try out the same spell again. Nevile barley has to think about casting before the room is enveloped in a bright light that seems to dance around the room taking on a faint red glow. 

When the light finally dims and the room is returned to normal everyone is still staring in shock.

Olivander just stands there looking absolutely giddy with excitement. "This wand wants to be yours my dear"

"I suppose I can't exactly argue with that display" Augusta says

"What just happened?" Susan asks

"The wand chooses its wielder, Lord Longbottom's wand is still Loyal to him and wont lend you its full power. You would have a hard time casting much more than first year spells using her."

"But that" Susan gestured generally to the room indicating the bright lights 

Olivander's smile turns pensive "This wand has a very interesting history, one I cannot share with you just yet. When the time is right come back and see me."

Neville looked at him in confusion trying to decide on what question to ask first but before he can even open his mouth to talk Olivander claps his hands together and turns to the girls. "Now you two, lets get you equipped with your very own wands."

Harry

Harry spent the week in his room trying to figure out what to do and had come up with a plan. Well plan wasn't quite right, they were more like vague goals he had very little idea of how to accomplish.

One, figure out what happened and how he got here. Draco was right in a way, he really didn’t know how making changes would affect the timeline. But Harry also knew, having time traveled before, that this was not ordinary travel. It was possible that there were different rules.

Two, get Draco to work with him. Harry had been sending Malfoy letters frequently since their meeting but so far he hadn't responded to any of them. Whatever was going on involved both of them and Harry found himself growing more and more frustrated that Draco absolutely refused to even talk to him.

Three, make friends with Ron, Hermionie, and Neville. His friends had always been there for him and he wanted to keep their company in this timeline as well. The tricky part would be getting Ron to look past him being in Slytherin but he hoped it would help break down the house divides at school. Him and Neville hadn't been particularly close in the first time around but he was a great friend when they were older and Harry was set on ensuring he had a better school experience this time around.

Four, get Sirius released from Azkaban. He wanted to get that going as soon as possible to reduce the amount of suffering his God Father had to endure. He couldn't risk getting someone to look into the case until the damned traitor was captured,  he would not give the rat a chance to escape if the trial went public.

Five, deal with Quirelmort and the philosopher's stone. Voldemort was in the castle his whole first year on the back of his DADA teacher. If Harry could somehow collect and destroy all the horcruxes he could deal with the dark lord before he even had a chance to get a body back. Regardless of that he still needed to ensure the philosopher's stone stay far away from Voldemort's grasp.

Six, get into the chamber of secrets. In order to destroy the horcruxes he needed to get his hands on some of the basilisks venom. Harry adamantly refused to ever cast Fiendfyre since he only narrowly escaped its embrace in the room of requirement during the battle, he would do it if it became necessary but he would much rather fight the basilisk again than attempt that casting. Ideally he'd prefer to relocate the basilisk and get the venom in a more humane way. He doesn’t regret killing the basilisk but if its life could spared he wanted that for it as well. The problem lay in the fact he had lost his parseltongue ability when he had died in the forest and though he wasn't exactly sure how it happened he could tell he wasn't a horcrux himself this time which meant no snake speak.

Harry went over his list as he made his way back to Gringotts to meet with Argos, he intended to ask the goblin if he had any insight into how he could accomplish at least some of his list. Obviously the goblin couldn’t help him with making friends at school but he may have some insight into wizarding law to help with Sirius's situation.

Harry walked into the bank with his glamour on and again walked straight to the back counter. He was again followed by the stares of other witches and wizards but was not approached by goblin security.

"Peace to you" he said with a slight bow to the goblin waiting at the desk "I have a meeting with Mr. Argos."

The Goblin at the desk returned the bow and smiled at Harry's attempt at politeness "Peace to you." he said "It's Sir Argos you mean to say, Mr. Argos is if you are intending to initiate courtship rituals."

Harry face turned bright red as he shook his head. "Sir Argos" Harry corrected, "Please accept my apologies I wasn't aware."

The goblin waved him off "Not to worry friend, we understand you have much to learn."

"Thank you" Harry says sincerely, being called friend by a goblin is said to be a great honour not many witches or wizards have been granted.

"Now lets not keep Argos waiting, follow me please."

Walking into the office Harry's glamour is yet again dispelled. Argos peaks up from his desk "Ah peace to you Lord Potter" he says bowing his head.

"Peace to you Sir Argos" Harry says returning the gesture

"You have learned your first culture lesson I see?"

Harry's blush returns "I was informed not to use Mr. before a goblins name."

Argos laughs and Harry's blush deepens. "Do not worry Lord Potter, you are a friend now. We will help you learn where we can."

"You honour me greatly Sir."

"Now," he says gesturing the seat in front of him "please sit. We have much to discuss." Harry sits and waits for Argos to get his papers in order. "I have found what I was looking for, unfortunately it is not as informative as I was hoping."

He pulls out an ancient sheet of parchment, many of the words faded beyond recognition only one passage still faintly legible like it was written over in attempt preserve it.

It read "We may be masters of time yet are still slaves to her passing. As per her request we have hidden all our journals and research with our lost friend for her to care for and protect like she has always done for us all. Those who require her help will always be heard."

"Well that’s quite cryptic isn't it?" Harry asked after reading it over several times.

"Indeed, we also unfortunately don’t know who it was written by."

Harry sighed "so it’s a dead end?"

"Not exactly. The writer indicates that there are journals hidden somewhere, protected and cared for. Its possible you may find this collection"

"It would be quite a difficult task with so little information."

"Indeed I do not dispute that. However there is more we can infer from this passage."

Harry read it over again "we" he says focusing on this first sentence "Theres more than one 'master of time'."

"It appears so"

Harry recalls his conversation with Draco "I'm not the only one who travelled" Harry says, "A classmate of mine is also here from the same timeline."

"Very interesting" Argos says rubbing his chin "This classmate of yours didn't want to join you today?"

Harry shook his head "We weren't exactly friends, I spoke to him but it didn't go well."

"I believe it would be in everyone's best interest if we could get him to undertake a signature test as well. If his results are similar to yours it may help us understand the situation."

"I'll do my best."

Chapter Text

Harry

The day Harry had been dreading had finally arrived, it was time to get to platform 9 3/4 and take the Hogwarts Express. The last time Harry was there he was dead. Perhaps that didn't actually count as the last time he was there seeing as it wasn't technically real but logic never made any difference when it came to his panic attacks. He'd managed to keep them to a minimum since he arrived in this time but going to school would cause a whole other host of issues. How could he explain to people that he often falls into fits of panic and sees the faces of his dead friends and family asking him why he didn't try harder to save them. Only Draco would maybe understand and he still refused to reply to any of Harry's letters.

Approaching the platform Harry was already starting to feel queasy. He wished calming potions worked on him but after years of taking them he'd grown an immunity of sorts, an immunity that had apparently transferred with him to this body much to his dismay. He waited patiently nearby for the moment the Weasley's arrived at the station. It was hard to miss the entourage of red hair chaotically making their way through the station. Harry watched as Percy went through the passage first followed by the twins. Harry had to fight with himself to not fall into an attack when he saw both of them together and whole again.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself Harry approached the remaining trio.

"Excuse me" he says to Molly "Is that how you get to the Hogwarts express?"

"Oh hello dear is it your first time?" Harry nods "Better to take it at a run it can feel a little funny your first time."

Harry thanks her and looks to the two kids at her side. Ron is just as Harry remembered, bright hair and face full of freckles, already tall and lanky for his age but nowhere near the height he'd reach after his growth spurt. Harry felt calmer just being near him.

Ginny however looked quite different from the women she would grow up to be. She was timid and shy and her features were covered by baby fat that was stubbornly sticking around. Her eyes were bright and innocent, a look which unfortunately disappeared after the events of his second year. He silently vowed to himself that he would keep her from harm this time around. They had dated for a bit after the battle but they were both too hurt at the time to be good for each other and agreed their relationship worked better as friends, Harry hadn't been on a date since. 

"You go first Ron, show him how it works." Ron looks to his mom nervous but resolved. He runs towards the pillar and disappears. "Your turn dear, don't want to miss it now."

Harry follows suit entering the platform and seeing the train for the first time in years, he forgot how beautiful it was. He quickly finds the compartment they always claimed and waited for his friend to arrive. Harry watched out the window as they left the city and entered the countryside.

"Excuse me" Ron's voice drew him from his thoughts "Do you mind? Everywhere else is full."

"Not at all" Harry says smiling, gesturing for Ron to have a seat.

"I'm Ron by the way, Ron Weasley" He says taking the seat across from him.

"I'm Harry, Harry Potter."

Rons eyes grow wide "So its true" He says clearly trying to find the words to speak "Do you really have the scar?" He asks pointing to his own forehead. Harry brushes his bangs aside to show his scar and Ron looks on in amazement. "Wicked" He says.

Right on time the trolley rolls past asking if they would like anything. Ron pulls out his packed lunch looking a bit dejected "I'm all set."

"We'll get the lot" Harry says. And the look of excitement on Ron's face makes everything worthwhile for a moment.

Harry was enjoying chatting with Ron about all the snacks they acquired when a voice interrupted them. "So is it true." Draco said "The famous Harry Potter is in this compartment."

Harry was pretty sure Hermione came to talk to them first last time around, something about Neville's toad? Perhaps he was just misremembering. Harry turned to Draco with a smile on his face. If Draco was committed to playing this part Harry would make it as difficult as possible, that was their whole relationship after all wasn't it?

"Hello Malfoy, it's good to see again."

"You two know each other?" Ron asks surprised

"yes" Harry says at the same time Draco says "No"

"Easy to tell you’re a Weasley, you ought not to-"

"You should join us" Harry says interrupting him and gesturing to the available seats.

Draco stutters "I - no"

"Alright" Harry says cheerily "Good chat then we'll see you at school!"

Unsure what to do Draco huffs and walks away.

"He's a menace" Ron says

"Oh don’t be too hard on him. He's complicated for sure but I really think he's trying to be better."

"Are your friends?"

"Not exactly but we've met a couple times."

Ron sighs "I'll take your word for it for now but Malfoy's don't have a reputation for being good people."

"Why's that?"

"They're all Slytherin" Ron practically whispers.

"That doesn't mean their bad." Harry says "Besides I'm pretty sure I'll be sorted into Slytherin"

Ron gasps "What!? But they're all dark wizards"

"I don't think that’s one of the qualifiers" Harry chuckles, "I don't believe being sorted into a certain house makes someone evil. Do you? "

"I suppose not" Ron says clearly thinking hard about what Harry said.

"Well Regardless of what house we end up in I'd like to be your friend." Harry says smiling holding his hand out to Ron, "what do you say?"

Ron smiles and grasps Harry's hand shaking it "Brilliant". 

Hannah

Neville had decided after much deliberation to not take Trevor with him to Hogwarts. Hannah knew how much he loved his toad and had tried to convince him to still take him but Neville had insisted that they'd be too busy with research to take proper care of him. Hannah had finally relented when Neville told her he didn't need his toad for company because he would have friends this time around. 

Hannah, Neville, and Susan all sat together watching the views out the window thinking about what the year would bring. Eventually they were joined by Hermione who spent the entire rest of the journey telling them all about what she had read in "Hogwarts A History". Hannah did her best to tune it out without being rude, focusing instead on trying to connect with the foreign magic she could feel buried within her core. 

As the train pulled up to the station and they began to depart she felt that magic glow within her. She turned to Neville silently asking him if he was feeling something too and he nodded smiling at her. This is where they were meant to be, she knew they'd soon be getting some answers.

Hagrid herded them onto the boats and they sailed across the great lake. The look of the castle over the water lit up by torchlight with the setting sun brought tears to her eyes. Neville and Susan were by her side in the boat, Neville very subtlety placing his hand over hers. They followed the group onto shore and up the stairs to the great hall. 

In her first year Hannah was so nervous about being the first of her year to be sorted, this time she was eager to officially be a badger again. She listened intently as McGonagall explained the process and Dumbledore did his yearly speech introducing them to the different houses and what they represent. When her name was called she walked up to the hat placing it gently on her head and waiting.

"You are not where you're supposed to be" the hat says in her head

"Pardon?" Hannah asks in her mind, the hat wouldn't sort her into a difference house would he?

"You've already completed your education." the hat corrected. 

"Yes, we were brought back in time."

"we?"

"Neville Longbottom came with me."

"Very interesting. I would like to hear more but it must wait I'm afraid, we don't want to keep everyone waiting. You know well what you are."

"Yes" Hannah says smiling 

"HUFFLEPUFF" The hat shouts out loud.

Hannah walks over the Hufflepuff table as the students clap and welcome her. She is shortly joined by Susan as they watch the rest of their year get sorted.

Neville

Neville smiled wide with pride when Hannah and Susan got sorted into Hufflepuff. He had no doubt that they would but he was happy for them regardless. In his first year he begged the hat to sort him into Hufflepuff because he didn't feel like he belonged anywhere else. The hat had adamantly disagreed and sent him to Gryffindor regardless. He found himself again wishing to be sorted into Hufflepuff just so he could spend more time with his wife but he knew that wasn't where he belonged. When his name got called he walked up with confidence and placed the hat on his head.

"Ah you're my other time traveler, this is shaping up to be an interesting year indeed."

"I don't suppose you have any insight into how we got here?" Neville asks in his head.

"I might be of some help but I would need to examine you further, you both have an unusual magical signature that feels almost familiar."

"I think I can summon you so we can talk later."

"Excellent. Now do you intend to fight me over your placement again?"

"I know where I belong."

"GRYFFINDOR"

Draco

Draco was stressing by the time his name was called, it felt like things were taking longer this time around but he wasn't sure. When he walked up he expected his sorting to be as fast as it was in his first year, the hat barely needed to touch his head before it was confidently sorting him into Slytherin. This time the hat seemed to be silently pondering his placement. Draco couldn't help the frustration at Harry Potter that came to the surface, he must have done or said something that was making the hat question him.

The hat laughed in his head and Draco was pulled from his musing unaware the hat was capable of that.

"You are too hard on yourself" the hat said "You mustn't do everything by yourself, you are not as alone as you think."

Draco just sat there mouth agape in shock. He wasn't expecting the hat to talk to him at all let alone call him out like that.

"SLYTHERIN" the hat called and Draco walked to his house table to join the rest of his year.

The hat actually talked. He had heard people say they had conversations with the hat but he didn't actually believe it. At least not like THAT. He was growing more and more frustrated that he didn't say anything back to the hat, tell it just how wrong it was. Draco Malfoy was not alone and he did NOT need to ask for help.

When Harry's name is called he's pulled from his musings to watch as the hat is placed on his head. They sit for a while clearly having a conversation as well judging by the faces Harry is making. Finally the hat calls out "SLYTHERIN" and Draco's heart sinks to the floor.

Harry

Harry missed the entire first half of the sorting ceremony to a panic attack. The last time he was in the great hall it was full of bodies and mourning families. He was trying everything he could to bring himself back to reality but the reality in question was so unbelievable he was really starting to struggle. He tried to focus on his senses and ground himself but just being aware he was actually in Hogwarts again was making him spiral more. He started tracing a square on the back of his hand over and over. It was supposed to help in some way, at least that’s what Hermione said. She did a bunch of research to try and help Harry after the war, before he convinced her that he was totally fine and she didn't need to spend her time on that.

Harry was starting to think he wouldn't even make it to his sorting before he passed out when someone beside him reached out to his hand and started squeezing on and off. Harry calmed and looked over to see Ron casually comforting him as he watched the sorting. Clearly not caring if anyone saw them holding hands. Harry squeezed back to indicate he was okay now. He wasn't sure if the squeezing helped or it was just the shock of it that pulled him out, either way he was thankful. He waited until the crowd was clapping for the student recently sorted into Ravenclaw before he leaned over and whispered a quiet thank you. 

"I'm nervous too" Ron said quietly "But don't worry too much, the hat knows where you belong. Or that’s what my mum says anyways."

"Thanks mate, your mum sounds like a smart lady."

Harry watches as Sally-Anne Perks is sorted into Hufflepuff and his name is called next. He walks up and places the hat on his head waiting for the hat to ask his questions like it did the first time.

"You were sorted Gryffindor last time, but you've changed your mind have you?"

"Yes" Harry said in his head, he wasn't expecting the hat to know him, could the hat tell he had been through all this before?

"You will do well in Slytherin, It will help you bring changes to prevent the events I see from your future."

"Can I actually change things?"

"You'll only know if you try, are you ready?"

"Yes"

"SLYTHERIN" the hat called. Harry gave a thumbs up to Ron who returned the gesture with a big smile. Harry walked over to his new house table sitting down beside an absolutely furious Draco Malfoy.

Draco

Harry Bloody Potter actually did it. He got sorted into Slytherin. How the hell did he get sorted into Slytherin? He was a Gryffindor through and through. Brave, hot headed, and reckless. Draco could not fathom having to spend seven years with him as a housemate. He had thought it several times before but at this point it had to all be a dream he'd wake up from any time now. Life had other plans for him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Draco says

"Sitting at my house table?" Harry replied

"You know what I mean Potter"

"If you read any of my letters you'd know what I'm doing."

Draco clenched his fists, he never wanted to punch someone quite as much as he wanted to clock Harry now. Draco hadn’t read any of the many letters Harry sent him. In fact most went straight into the fire. Draco intended to stick to his plan, no matter how much Harry tried to fuck with it. He would not risk changing anything if there was any chance things could end up worse than they were.

He bit his tongue and joined in the conversation with his fellow first years as they introduced themselves and talked excitedly about finally being able to learn magic.

He was disappointed yet again when they arrived in their dorms to find that they were not only sharing the room but their beds were right next to each other. His first time around all five Slytherin boys had shared one big room. This time they were separated into two rooms of three with a general common space and bathroom shared between all six. Draco tried to beg someone to switch but he couldn't exactly explain why he wanted to switch so he was stuck, again. Blaise left their room to join the rest of the boys in a game of exploding snap in their common area. Draco made an attempt to join but Harry grabbed his arm.

"Draco please just talk to me."

"Whats to talk about?"

"Come on! Like it or not were both in the same boat here okay? Working together wouldn't kill you."

Draco's face flared with anger and he turned around to face Harry. "I can't believe you! How could the hat sort you into Slytherin when you're such a reckless idiot!" Draco shouted at him

Harry quickly cast a silencing charm on the room which just made Draco even angrier. Harry just shrugged, "It wanted to sort me into Slytherin the first time around too." Harry starts "I didn't understand the houses then, I just thought Slytherin was for rich stuck up brats with major prejudices."

Draco just stared "you are infuriating"

"I know. Its one of my charms"

Draco stood stiff with his harms crossed tight across his chest. "You wanted to talk so talk" Draco finally says still fuming.

Harry sighs "I've been talking with a Goblin at Gringotts and we think we found evidence of someone with a similar experience from a long time ago who kept a written journal."

That was intriguing indeed. "Who? And where?"

"That’s the bad news…" Harry said "We don't know who and they hid all their research."

"So not helpful at all then."

"We know someone else, multiple someone else's, experienced the same thing as we did probably centuries ago and the universe didn't implode on itself." Harry said. "That’s something."

"How do you know?"

"I took a signature test at the bank. It showed that not only was I born in an alternate timeline but that I am a 'master of time'. Actually I was hoping to get you to do a test as well, I have a friend at the bank who can help with it."

"Of course you do." Leave it to Harry to make friends with the Goblins. "Wait Master of Time?"

"I'm hoping if you do the test you'll have the same title. I had some others too but I'm not sure if they're related, if we cross reference we have a starting point at the very least."

"Fine." Draco said "But if it turns out the normal time travel rules do apply you NEED to start correcting your actions."

Harry nodded "I'll do what needs to be done." he pauses in thought like he's looking for the right words. "If we can make changes, I'd like to be your friend this time if you'll let me." He holds his hand out to shake just like Draco did all those years ago.

Draco doesn’t think its possible for one day to shock him as much as today has. Harry Potter wants to be his friend? Its all he wanted back when he was eleven, but now there's so much history between them he's not sure he's capable of being friends. He wants to spurn his offer just like Harry did back then, let him know how it feels. But he really wants to be good and Harry can help him with that as much as he loathes to admit it.

"I'll try." Draco says shaking his hand, "But I make no promises."

Harry

Draco and Harry had joined the rest of the boys in their game before everyone got tired from the long day of travel and settling in and decided to go to bed. Harry laid down staring at the ceiling and cast a silencing spell around is bed in case he screamed in his sleep. It wasn't long before he could hear the soft breathing of Blaise and Draco. Harry was a little jealous at how quickly Draco seemed to fall asleep as he tossed and turned for hours. He eventually fell asleep but when he woke up sweating and screaming it was still early in the morning. Harry decided it wasn't worth trying to go back to sleep so he pulled out his first year textbooks to refresh himself on the years material.

After about an hour of reading Draco started to struggle in his bed like he was being held down and began to mumble something under his breath. Harry caught the first few words of "no" and "please" before he cast a silencing charm on his bed. Harry didn't want to eavesdrop but he couldn’t look away as Draco struggled and screamed then went still for a moment before sitting up quickly gasping for breath. He let Draco settle for a moment before he dropped the spell.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Draco looked to him in surprise then realization dawned on him and he quickly wiped the tears off his face and looked towards Blaise, clearly expecting him to be awake too.

"I cast a silencing ward over your bed." Harry starts getting Malfoys attention. "I didn’t think you'd want him, or me, to hear what you were screaming."

"you didn't hear?" Draco asks clutching the covers in his fists. 

"Just the beginning, enough to know it wasn’t a good memory."

"It's not a memory" Draco said

"Mine are all memories."

Draco looks like he wants to say something but instead he gets out of bed grabbing his toiletries and announces he's going to take the first shower.

Neville

Neville needed to talk to Harry Potter, he was certain that Harry was a traveler like them. It was possible that things had changed enough that he simply got sorted into Slytherin naturally but Neville could see by the look in his eyes that this Harry was not just an eleven year old boy discovering magic was real for the first time. He had the haunted look of someone who had to endure and do terrible things.

Neville decided that at breakfast he would sit with him at the Slytherin table. If Harry was from their original time he would know immediately that Neville was the same, and if he wasn't then Neville would break down the house divides by befriending him anyways. Entering the great hall he noticed Harry sitting and chatting with his year mates. He readied himself and walked straight towards him ignoring the stares from the other houses and the jeers from Slytherin. He sat next to Harry as his year mates began trying to insult him and shoo him away.

Harry looked up in confusion but immediately smiled wide pulling him into a hug. "Its so good to see you Neville."

"It good to see you too Harry" Neville said returning the hug. It seemed like the whole school was watching them which was probably true.

"We'll need to catch up somewhere" Harry said looking around.

"Defense meeting at three?" Neville asks hoping Harry will understand the implication of meeting in the ROR.

Harry nodded "I'll meet you there, may have a friend with me."

"Me too" Nevile said smiling.

"This is my good friend Neville Longbottom" Harry said introducing him to the rest of the first year Slytherins.

"Pleasure to meet you all" He replies to the group who grudgingly shared their names. They chatted for a bit before Harry and Neville saw Ron finally walk into the hall and stare at them in confusion.

"I should probably go calm him down." Neville said

Harry laughed "Good idea, he's been handling things well though all things considered."

Harry

After Neville left their table Harry was bombarded with questions about his friend.

"Slytherins and Gryffindors simply cannot mix." Pansy said.

"Why not?" Harry asked

She looked taken aback like it should be obvious.

"Because they're Gryffindors" Milicent interjected "Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff would be bad enough but a Gryffindor?"

"Yesterday we were all just people with no houses." Harry said.

"That was yesterday" Pansy said "Today you're a Slytherin and Slytherins do not make friends with the other houses."

"But why?" Harry asks "Theres a lot to gain by having connections with those from different houses."

"They don't understand us."

"How could they if you refuse to talk to them?" Harry asks and the group is silent not yet willing to concede the point. "Look if you don’t want to be friends with a Hufflepuff or Gryffindor or Ravenclaw that’s your choice but I'm not going to stop making friends just because they wear a different colour than I do." Harry realizing he needed to leave them to think about it quickly finished up his breakfast.

He waited until Draco arrived and pulled him to the side. "We're not the only ones" He told him. 

"There's others?" Draco asked, "Really?"

"Yes, I'm sure our friends will tell you all about our unexpected visitor this morning." Harry said smiling. "Meet us at the room at three today."

"Alright" Draco said "I'll try to clean up your mess here I suppose."

"I'm just trying to show them the benefits of inter house relationships."

Draco just groaned and held his head in his hands.

"See you later Draco"

~

Harry decided he would head to the library to check if they had anything about time travel he hadn't already read but as he was leaving the hall Dumbledore came to intercept him.

"Hello Mr. Potter" he said "How are you finding life at Hogwarts so far?"

"Hello Sir, its good." He replied unsure what was going on. He never spoke to Dumbledore until much later in the year the first time around.

"Would you join me for a chat in my office? I like to get to know all our students before classes start" What was he talking about? He never did that last time and Harry hadn't noticed anyone else getting pulled into his office.

"I suppose" Harry said looking confused but agreeing to follow.

As they walked Dumbledore asked him all about his train ride and if he tried any wizarding treats on the way in. When they arrived at his office Dumbledore poured them some tea and offered him a seat. Dumbledore takes a sip of his tea and Harry follows suit lifting the cup to his mouth but not taking a sip, he preferred to wait until the tea cooled off a bit more but he had learned that could be seen as impolite.

"So, Harry my boy, I wanted to talk to you about your house placement."

"What do you mean?"

"Well you see, sometimes the hat makes mistakes when sorting new students."

"I'm perfectly happy in Slytherin Sir if that’s what you're implying."

"I just worry Slytherin may not be the best place for you."

"why not?"

"Slytherin attracts a certain type of wizard that I don't believe to be the best influence on young minds."

Harry crosses his arms "I didn’t expect the headmaster to hold such prejudices against an entire house of students. Do you ask all first year Slytherins if they want to switch?"

"No you misunderstand me my boy. I fear after what happened with your parents it's simply not safe for you to be there."

Harry stood up in anger knocking over his tea. What was this conversation? Why was he so insistent that Harry not be a Slytherin? To bring up his parents was a low blow he would not stand for. 

"Ah I seem to have upset you" Dumbledore said calmly "please excuse me, we can continue this another time."

"Theres nothing to continue" Harry said "I'm a Slytherin and that’s where I intend to stay." Harry turns to leave and feels the tug of mind magic against the back of his neck. He quickly reinforces his occlumency shields to keep it out and prods at the spell to try an identify it. Obliviate. Dumbledore was trying to cast an obliviate on him. Had he done this before? Harry hadn't learned to identify and protect himself from legilimancy until his fifth year, before then he had no way of knowing if people tried to meddle with anything. Harry let the magic in just enough so Dumbledore wouldn’t know it hadn't worked and acted the part. He turned around to Dumbledore who stood smiling at him genially, no indication of the fight they just had.

"You wanted to talk to me about something Sir?" It was a gamble but Harry was sure Dumbledore would have attempted to reconstruct his memory in some way that wouldn't make him question why he was in the headmasters office.

"I just wanted to check that are setting in well to Hogwarts."

"Yes Sir, I've even made some friends already."

"Oh?"

"Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom Sir, we were actually going to go explore the castle soon if that’s alright?" Harry hoped that saying he was developing friendships with Gryffindor's would get him to lay off on trying to get him to switch houses. He needed more information before he could act on anything, he needed to talk with Neville and the other travelers.

"Of course my boy, very important to know your way around. Sounds like you will be in good company. Well I won't keep you then but please come to me if you have any issues in the future."

"Yes Sir, thank you sir." Harry said as he calmly left the office.

There was no way in hell he'd be coming to Dumbledore with anything. As soon as he was out he got as far away from the office as he could before the betrayal and panic settled in. Turning a corner he ran straight into Professor Flitwick and they both tumbled to the ground. Harry was fighting for breath as he apologized profusely and tried to leave as quickly as possible.

"Harry Potter?" Flitwick said with a note of curiosity "are you alright?"

"Sorry sir, I'm alright, please excuse me."

Flitwick looked at him like he was trying to figure out a particularly difficult puzzle "Would you come to my office?" Harry tried to turn away but Flitwick continued "I promise no one will see you there and I will keep our meeting a secret if that is what you wish."

Harry looked between Flitwick and the otherwise empty hallway. He tried to think about what to do but his mind was too clouded. "Please help me." He finally conceded with the last of his energy.

Flitwick helped him up and to his office where he laid him down on a couch with a blanket. Harry curled up into a tight ball and cried until he fell asleep.

~

He woke up slowly, rubbing his puffy eyes and looking around the room.

"Morning son" Flitwick said looking up from the paperwork on his desk. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright. I just… um…" Harry didn't know where to start.

"Take your time child, I have some questions for you if that’s alright?" Harry nodded. "If you can't or don't want to answer anything you just say so" He said leaving his desk and coming over to join Harry on the couch. "Do you know what a magical vow is?"

Harry nods and Flitwick holds his hand out for Harry to hold. "I swear on my magic that our conversation today will remain a secret between us unless you give me express permission to share it with others." Harry felt as their magic reacted and settled between them. If Flitwick broke his promise he would lose his magic forever.

Flitwick moved to one of the other chairs in the room to give Harry some space and asked his first question. "Not many people seem to remember despite how I look" Flitwick said gesturing to his short stature. "But I am part goblin." Harry looked to him as realization dawned on him. Flitwick smiled "I just have to ask how an eleven year wizard old was granted the honour of being named a Goblin's friend?"

Harry looked at his professor wondering how much he should share. He wanted to talk to the others before bringing anyone else into their secrets but he had a strong feeling that Flitwick would be an okay person to talk to. He did protect Harry and had made an unbreakable vow to keep his secrets.

"I'm not eleven" Harry began deciding to share his secrets "I don’t know how or why yet but I've already been through all this. I think we're meant to change things but I don't know for sure. I met Argos at the bank when I went to get access to my family vaults, I guess he decided he liked me."

Flitwick listened intently "I can't say I was expecting anything like that. You must have made a good impression on him. Wait we? Are there others here from this other time?"

Harry nodded his head, "At least two others that I know of. I don't know if they'd want me to share-"

Flitwick held up his hand "No that’s alright, its not your secret to share I understand. I assume you undertook a signature test to gain access to your vault?"

Harry nodded "Yes, that’s how we know its not normal time travel. Here" Harry said conjuring the results of the test to show his professor.

"Very strange indeed, I've never seen such titles." He said as he read over the list multiple times.

"Professor" Harry asked "Argos said that anyone with goblin magic could preform the signature test. Would you be able to cast it for my friends?"

"I would have to request the details on the casting but I believe it can be done, yes."

"Brilliant, I was worried we'd have to wait until we could sneak out of the castle but this would be so much easier."

Flitwick laughed "I'll send some letters and see what I can do."

"Thank you"

"I have another question for you if that’s alright?"

Harry was pretty sure he knew what this question would be. He pulled his knees up to his chest and nodded his head. "go ahead"

"What happened before you ran into me that got you in such a state?"

"I get panic attacks." Harry begins "The future is… Bad. There was a war and I get lost in my memories sometimes."

Flitwick listened in sympathy. "Do you have anything that helps when the attacks happen?"

Harry shakes his head "I used to be able to use calming potions but I used them too much." Tears started to fall from his eyes despite his best efforts.

"Its okay to cry son, it will help you release your emotions. This is a safe space I promise."

Harry took in a shaky breath and let the tears fall freely. Flitwick was right it already felt a bit better.

"What triggered it this time?" he asked after letting Harry cry it out for a bit.

"Dumbledore. He's not who I thought he was."

"Did he hurt you? In this timeline or the last?"

"I don't know" Harry said as he heaved a sob. "He wanted me to switch houses and when I refused he tried to cast an obliviate on me."

Flitwick' face turned a shade of red and his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "He should not be meddling in such things." Flitwick took a deep breath trying to calm his anger. "I think its best you keep your distance from him for now." He continued more calmly, "If he requests another meeting I suggest you bring me or one of the other house heads. He will not try something like that with any of us around."

"Even professor Snape?"

"I admit I don't fully understand the relationship between those two but I do know Snape has a deep pride for his house and would not stand for any attempt to steal away one of his snakes."

Harry wasn't so sure about that, he was a special case when it came to Snape and Dumbledores relationship. For now he'd agree to seek help from other house heads and test the waters when it came to Snape.

Harry cast a tempus charm to check the time and shot up straight when he realized just how late in the day it had gotten. "Sorry professor but I'm supposed to be meeting with my friends right now."

Flitwick nodded. "Thank you for trusting me Harry, I will get in touch with Argos to ask about the signature spell. Please consider me a friend in this mater, I would like to assist you where I can if you would allow me to do so."

Harry's eyes began to tear again but for a much different this time, it was more a feeling of happiness than his constant sadness. Harry pulled Flitwick into a hug "Thank you" he said sincerely. Flitwick returned the hug rubbing Harry's back. Harry couldn't remember the last time he felt comforted by an adult in his life.

Chapter Text

Hannah

Hannah and Neville had made their way to the room of requirement a bit early, they were both getting a little desperate for some time alone with each other. It was good to have their friends back but being around them 24/7 AND having to play the role of an eleven year old was starting to get exhausting.

When they arrived at the painting of trolls dancing they each thought about summoning a room that would help answer the questions they had about their situation. When the door appeared and they walked in she was disheartened to see the room had conjured a small social area; a couple of comfy couches and a table with tea, snacks, and fire whiskey. At least the room had a sense of humor.

Neville and Hannah settled down together on one of the couches and waited for Harry and their mystery guest to arrive. According to Neville Harry had only mentioned bringing a 'friend' with him. It was frustratingly vague and Hannah was starting to get nervous about who would be joining them. When Draco opened the door and looked between them she wasn't sure which one of them was more shocked.

Draco sighed and walked inside moving to stand behind one of the chairs "I'm really starting to think this whole time travel thing is a very complicated prank intended to make me as miserable as possible."

Hannah couldn't help but burst into laughter "Its good to see you too Draco" She said. "Please have a seat." This would be an interesting conversation to say the least. She knew Draco didn't particularly care for any of them but she had no personal issues with the man. She knew how he had acted in school their first go around and some of the questionable choices he made during the war, but she also knew that he switched sides at the end. Susan had also told her all about how hard he worked to get a job with the Aurors and didn't even complain when he was constantly put down for it. There were layers to him and she looked forward to the challenge of becoming his friend.

Draco sat down rubbed his forehead with his hand "So where's Potter then?"

"Should be here any moment" Neville said casting a tempus to check the time. Right on cue Harry Potter burst into the room looking like he just ran across the castle grounds to get here.

"Merlin Harry are you alright?" Neville asked. Harry's eyes were red and puffy like he was crying just moments ago.

"You look like you were hit by the Knight bus." Draco said, not looking overly concerned.

"Feels like it too" Harry said catching his breath and sitting on one the chairs completing their circle. "It's been a rough day."

"So" Neville said getting the ball rolling "Where do we want to start?"

"Actually before that." Hannah says "I have a spell that can make a transcript of our conversation, but it needs everyone's permission to work if that’s alright?"

"Right," Neville said "Good idea."

"Fine by me" Harry says.

"Yeah whatever" Draco adds.

Hannah takes out her wand and casts the same spell she'd become quite familiar with. Her and Neville had filled several books worth of transcriptions from their earlier conversations. She waited until she felt the magic be accepted by each person before saying "Okay its working"

"So, should we start with how we got here?" Neville asked.

"I'm assuming you two got here through Hogwarts as well?" Draco started.

"Yeah, Neville went first and I came looking for him."

"I came here looking for you two." Harry added

"Some old guy came to report you two missing from Hogwarts. We got assigned to investigate when McGonagall called about Harry disappearing from the school wards."

"Do you remember anything from the travel it self?" Harry asked

"I felt a pull towards the room of requirement but I don't remember actually getting there." Neville began.

"I do." Hannah continued, "I was pretty worked up when I got there and when I got closer to the castle I felt my magic react to something. It's hard to describe but I felt like it was trying to calm me down, promising me Neville was okay and I would find him. It lead me here to the room of requirement, I remember feeling like I was inside a clock then I woke up in my childhood room."

"I felt something too," Draco said in thought, "like a tug against my magic urging me to the room. It was full of gears and mechanisms. I suppose that does feel rather like a clock."

"How did you two find each other?" Harry asked "I couldn’t remember that I was looking for you two when I got here."

"Me neither" Draco added. "When Harry and I were talking earlier I could remember that he was missing but not who else I had been looking for."

"It’s the first thing I remembered." Hannah said "I sent him a drawing of our patronus, if he was my Neville he'd understand it, and if not he'd probably just find it weird and move on."

"I wonder why that was different for us?" He pondered aloud.

"Could just be about how close the two of you are versus the rest of us." Harry offered " It sounds like there was an element of mind magic happening during the spell or whatever it was. Regardless of how powerful magic is love is a really difficult emotion to overwrite."

"So whatever happened to us, we weren't supposed to remember each other?" Draco asked.

"It could also just be a byproduct of whatever magic was being cast." Neville offered "My memory is also pretty fuzzy from the night but I know I wasn't looking for anyone, I just happened to be there delivering potion ingredients."

"But you were all lead to the room of requirement?" Harry asked looking quite confused.

"Yeah it seems so, were you not?" Hannah asked. 

"I don't know, maybe?. I wasn't near the room when I passed out. I did feel my magic behaving weirdly but I didn't feel anything too unusual. I thought someone can to move me but I really can't be sure. Did everyone got here the day Hogwarts letters went out?"

They all nodded "It really feels like the school is an important part in all of this." Draco said.

"I agree," Hannah said "Its not really a lot to go on though."

"Actually I have more" Harry said before they all fell into their thoughts. "When I got here I went to the bank and took a magical signature test and got some interesting results."

"Interesting how?" Neville asked.

"It showed my birthday as being in an alternate timeline for one, and I had a bunch of weird titles including 'Master of Time'. The goblin I've been speaking to also found an old document that implies we're not the first people to experience something like this."

"Merlin" Neville exclaimed, "how old is old?"

"Ancient, like its nearly illegible from time. Here." Harry conjured the copy he had made to show the others. He continued as they all looked over the parchment "I think you should all get the signature test too, then we can cross reference the results see what we all have in common."

"So we need to go the bank?" Draco asked.

"Not exactly, Professor Flitwick might be able to help with that." Harry said tentatively.

"Flitwick?" Hannah asked, "Why him?"

"He's part Goblin so he can preform the spell. Also… he knows about me and said he's willing to help."

Draco splutters "You told him? I thought you were going to try and stick to the timeline for now."

"No, YOU said you were going to stick to the timeline for now, I made no promises until we had more information." Harry said "Besides, he knew something anyway because of the whole friend of Goblins thing. Its not my fault." Harry slumped into his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. 

Draco groaned "Have you told anyone else?"

Harry shook his head but Hannah jumped back into the conversation, she was pretty sure Draco would not be pleased about who she had told. "My friend Susan knows" She said. Draco looked at her exasperated "She knew something was up and I couldn't exactly lie. Besides, she helped us with some research and showed me the spell we're using now."

"Fine, whatever. I just think we need to be careful about who we get involved with all this" Draco said exasperated. 

"I agree we need to be cautious." Harry said "I don't think we can trust Dumbledore unfortunately."

"Why not?" Hannah asked. Harry was a staunch supporter of Dumbledore the first time around so something major must have happened for him to come out of the gate with that.

"Dumbledore wanted to speak to me in his office after breakfast this morning, which never happened last time around. He tried to convince me to switch to one of the other houses saying Slytherin isn't a good influence and some other bullshit."

"That shouldn't be too surprising, you're obviously not meant to be a Slytherin." Draco said before the rest of the sentence caught up to him. "Wait bad influence??"

"Its not like it’s a secret Dumbledore has a bit of a prejudice against snakes" Hannah said "He only really likes Gryffindor but seems to really hate Slytherins."

"It was a bit of a surprise you were sorted into Slytherin" Neville said.

"It's where the hat thought I belonged the first time too." Harry shrugged, "But actually that’s not even the worst of it. I basically told him to shove it and when I went to leave and he tried to obliviate me." Neville and Draco looked on in shock.

"Not to doubt you Harry, but are you sure?" Hannah asked.

"Positive." Harry replied. She was glad he didn't seem offended by the question. "I learned occlumency in fifth year when I started getting the visions and such. I got pretty good at blocking attempts and identifying spells, not that it helped much with the whole Voldemort problem."

"Why not?" she asked.

"Not much I could do about the soul piece he stuck in my body. I'm just glad Its gone this time, I'd really rather not have to die again."

"I'm sorry, what?" Hannah said in shock "What do you mean die again!?"

"In the forest during the break in the battle, I went to meet Voldemort and he killed me. I thought everyone knew that?" Harry looked to the boys for support but they both looked just as surprised. Draco stood up and started to pace around the room.

Hannah was not letting him get out of explaining himself "But you didn’t actually die." She said practically begging for him not to correct her. "You just tricked him. Right?"

"No I was hit with a killing curse, I was in the afterlife and everything."

"How!?"

"You know I'm not actually super clear about that myself. My best guess is the curse went for the smaller portion of his soul within me instead of mine."

Draco paused pacing and turned to Harry "YOU were a HORCRUX?"

"Yeah, accidentally apparently. Happened when he tried to kill me as a baby, hence the scar and all that." He said gesturing to the scar on his forehead. "Its how I could speak parseltongue, I really miss that part to be honest."

"I actually can't believe this" Draco said as he begins to sway on his feet, he sits back down holding his head in his hands.

"Do you think that’s why the Dementors were really attracted to you in third year?" Neville says "Maybe they were just confused about the whole two souls in one body thing."

"You know, I never thought about that Neville but that’s really smart, you're probably right." Draco groans and lowers his head between his knees.

"Are you going to be okay Draco?" Harry asks looking at his formal rival.

"Give me a minute, this is a lot to process."

"So no Horcrux this time?" Hannah says bringing them back on topic.

"Well no Horcrux in me, theres still the other five."

"No snake yet?" Neville asks thinking back to when he had killed Nagini with the sword of Gryffindor.

"No snake" Harry assured. "Pretty confident that one was after he got resurrected."

"Okay I'm going to need you to explain all this to me later because I promise you it did not make it out to the general public." Hannah said glaring at Harry and Neville in turn.

"That's fair, I'll write it all down for you." Harry assured. 

Draco slowly sat up and tried to compose himself. He reached for the bottle of fire whiskey and held it up. "Any one else?" he asked. 

"Yes" They all say in unison and start laughing. Draco poured them each a glass and they all start to slowly sip on their drinks. The room may have decided they needed it but she wasn't going to go heavy on it until she knew how her new eleven year old body would react. She was pretty sure her alcohol tolerance didn't come back in time with her.

While they drank the room conjured up a platter of finger food and sandwiches for them for dinner. "So" Neville starts after they've all had a chance to have a bite to eat. "current plan of action; get those signature tests done and try to find this secret stash of books and journals about potential ancient time travelers."

"We should try and connect to whatever magic lead us here as well" Hannah added  "Neville and I both felt something similar when we got to Hogwarts on the boats."

"Good Idea" Draco agreed "I think you two really ought to protect your minds, especially if Dumbledore has no qualms about invading the mind of an eleven year old."

"So we need to learn occlumency." Hannah confirmed.

"I can probably teach the basics but I'm not a legilems so you wouldn't get to actually practice."

"Me neither" Draco continued "There's some books in my family library that you can read for a start though."

"You already know occlumency?" Harry asked surprised.

Draco looked to Harry in absolute befuddlement "The Dark Lord lived in my house for three years Potter. I obviously learned how to protect my mind."

Harry looked embarrassed "Fair enough" he said eventually, "Do you think Snape would help us? I assume he taught you too?"

"Partially." He said clearly wanting to avoid that line of questioning "You want to bring Snape into all this?"

"I'm asking you." Harry said, "His situation is complicated, but you know him best, so I'll trust your judgment? Whats your verdict, would he help us?"

Draco short circuited for a moment before answering "Yes, I think he will."

"Great, probably best you talk to him about it then. I can help if you want, but I don’t know how he's dealing with me being in Slytherin and all just yet."

"I'll talk to him."

"Brilliant, I could also use some help getting my godfather out of Azkaban."

"Merlin I forgot about all that." Neville said.

"I don't want him to suffer there longer than he has to but I need to get a trial started without drawing attention to it until I can kidnap Ron's rat."

"Okay I'm gong to ignore that second part for now." Draco began "How do we go about getting him another trial?"

"Well to start he never got a trial in the first place. I have to believe that someone didn't want him to get one and probably still doesn’t."

"Susan's aunt works in the department of justice, we can get her to look into it." Hannah said.

"It really needs to stay under wraps for the time being though" Harry continued in concern.

"Don't worry Susan will be subtle, she's great at getting people to do things and making them think it was their idea."

"She sounds like a Slytherin." Draco said

"There's a lot of cross over." Hannah said smiling at him.

"Perfect if you can get that arranged that would be great. Neville?" Harry asked turning to him "Do you think you can get the rat?"

Neville was at a loss for words but Draco was not "Okay whats with the rat?"

"Its Pettigrew." Harry explained, "He's an unregistered Animagus and the one who actually committed the crimes Sirius was imprisoned for."

"You're telling me Ron's rat is actually an old man?" Neville asked appalled.

"Yeah pretty much, think you can kidnap him?"

"Yeah I guess." Neville groaned. "It should be pretty simple to trick him. I'll just look up some binding spells or something."

Harry nodded "I'll teach you a good one" he said with a wide smile. 

"Harry." Hannah said pulling his attention back to her. "You do know none of this is normal right? Everything you've told us about your life is like actually insane."

Harry just shrugs "My scale for weirdness is probably pretty skewed since before Hogwarts the only thing I really knew was the walls of my closet and daily beatings."

Draco stilled, "What do you mean beatings?" He said pouring himself another glass.

Harry looked to him in sympathy and held out his glass requesting a refill, "Whatever you're thinking is probably pretty accurate" He finally says "They don't have magic but they were pretty creative people."

"So," Draco says composing himself. "That’s why you left home when you got here?"

"Yeah. That place was never my home, I couldn't spend another second there."

"I didn’t know, I'm sorry."

"Thanks Draco"

Hannah never thought she'd ever hear Draco apologize to Harry, this really was an alternate timeline. "Where have you been living since you woke up here?" Neville asked after letting them have their moment. 

"I spent the rest of the summer at the Leaky Cauldron, but I'm going to look into opening one of the Potter residences over the winter break. I think it could be a good to have an unplottable location so we can have a secure place for everything outside of Hogwarts."

"Good idea" Hannah said "Is anyone going to question why you're not with your family for the breaks?"

"Not my family" Harry snapped. His face softened when he saw her reaction, "Sorry it's just-" He waves his hand in a vague gesture.

"It okay, I understand" She says.

"I'm sorry" He says again before answering "No, no one ever checked in last time so I figure I just pretend I'm going there then just go somewhere else instead. I sent them a letter after I left saying that as long as they pretend I'm there if anyone comes asking they won't ever have to see me again."

"And they're just fine with that?" Draco asked.

"Well I never got a reply but I can't imagine they wouldn’t be. Worst case I have a document that lists my actual godparents. If I need to pull the legal card I will, I just figure this is easiest for everyone."

"Yeah that would be all anyone would talk about it if it became public." Draco agreed.

"Alright" Hannah said thinking about everything they've discussed up till now. "I'll talk to Susan about getting her aunt on the case for the trial, Neville will get the rat, Draco is going to talk to Snape about teaching us occlumency, and Harry is going to set up the signature tests for us. In the meantime we're all going to try and connect to the magic we felt and think about where we might find this secret library."

"Do we really have to repeat school on top of all that?" Neville groans.

"We do if we don't want to draw attention to ourselves, which I still think it vitally important." Draco said.

"I don’t disagree with you there. Its gonna be a pain but it should be fairly easy, it's not like we'll actually need to study for anything." Harry added.

"Okay I think that’s all I got in me tonight, we should all try to get some sleep. Being hungover of the first day of classes is probably not a good why to start the year."

They all exchange glances and laugh again.

"I'll also work on something like those coins we used for our DA meetings so we can arrange further meetings, for now lets say same time Friday once we've survived our first week?"

"That's how you planned those meetings?" Draco asked.

Harry laughs "I forgot you weren't there, yeah we had to be sneaky obviously. I'll make some adjustments but they should do the trick at least for now."

"So Friday" Hannah confirmed

"Friday" They all agreed.

Harry

When Harry returned to his rooms he found a letter waiting for him on his bed. It must have come over Dinner but since he was in the room of requirement and couldn't be located the letter was left for him in his room. He really hoped no one would question why the four of them had missed dinner, hopefully they could come with a good lie if it came to it. Harry checked over the letter for any curses or pranks as he had no idea who the letter could be from. When he opened it he chuckled to himself.

Lord Potter,

I must extend my sincerest apologies to you. When we met you conditioned me to keep your identity a secret. In naming you a friend of Goblins all those with goblin blood would be able to identify you as a friend upon meeting. I failed to take into account that your professor has goblin blood and that him knowing you may be against your wishes.

To Goblins one is all and secrets are only kept from other races, thus I failed to recognize the implication of your wishes. 

I deeply apologize if I have inadvertently broken your trust.

Peace to you,

Argos

Harry hadn't thought about the full implications of being named a goblin friend either so he wasn't going to hold it against Argos. He decided he should probably update the goblin anyways so he penned a response to send first thing in the morning.

Sir Argos,

You have been more than kind in teaching me about your culture I would be amiss to not extend the same to you.

I admit my meeting with Professor Flitwick was shocking but he will be of great help to us.

I have become acquainted with more time travelers who will consent to a signature test which he has graciously agreed to preform. I hope you can help provide him with the necessary information if you are able to do so.

You have in no way broken my trust but I thank you dearly for your care in explaining the circumstance, w e have much we can learn from each other.

I will be in touch if we learn anything new about out unique situation.

Peace to you,

Harry Potter

~

Harry genuinely tried to sleep but he just couldn't, instead he lay in bed and revisited his list of goals.

One, figure out what happened and how he got here. Working on it, he had learned a lot from the conversation but there were still a lot of unknowns.

Two, get Draco to work with him. Success.

Three, make friends with Ron, Hermione, and Neville. Working on it, he had made good progress with Ron but hadn't spoken much to Hermione yet. He didn't have to worry about Neville since they would be spending a lot of time together. 

Four, get Sirius released from Azkaban. Working on it, he was confident Neville would be able to trap the rat. Before heading back to the dorms Harry had taught Neville a spell he had found that not only trapped someone in their Animagus form but also administered a sort of shock whenever they attempted it. Hannah was going to work on getting Amelia Bones interested in the case, from there he shouldn't need to be too involved.

Five, deal with Quirelmort and the philosopher's stone. He hadn’t brought this problem up to his friends yet, they were shocked enough by the mere mention of the horcruxes. He wasn't sure they were ready to hear that Voldemort was currently attached to their defense teacher. He'd keep an eye on it but as far as their DADA teachers go Quirrell was pretty harmless.

Six, get into the chamber of secrets. Another non starter.

He also had more to add following their conversation;

Seven, try to connect with whatever magic got added to their cores during the travel.

Eight, figure out what Dumbledore's goal is. Why would he want Harry to not be in Slytherin so badly and why did he try to erase his memory of it?

Nine, talk to Hagrid. Hagrid has told Harry he would go to Dumbledore if Harry did anything suspicious. He wasn't entirely sure what counted as suspicious to the half giant but he figured he ought to talk to him sooner rather than later just in case.

Ten, talk to Argos about touring his secure family properties. He had toured some of the small properties after graduating the first time just so he had somewhere to sleep but he never had any interest in the larger manors. Now however he was thinking a bigger place would be ideal as a base of operations and he wanted to check out their libraries if nothing else.

Eleven, gather the horcruxes. He wasn't going to go collecting them just yet as he knew where most were and where they would stay for at least a couple more years. There was no point in collecting them all before he had a way to deal with them. He'd have to talk to Argos about how to get the cup this time around, he was pretty sure stealing from the bank would sour his relationship with the Goblins.

Harry groaned, there was just so much to do and on top of it all he still had to pretend about his classes??

He did it once before, surely he could do it again.

Chapter Text

Draco

On their way back to the dorms the night before Draco decided to ask Harry for the spells he'd used on his own bed at night. He was not about to ask Harry about the nightmares he had implied having that morning but knowing the spell would give him some peace of mind. He woke up to his usual nightmare again and sat up to find Harry awake and reading yet again. He wondered idly if Harry got any sleep or if he just stayed awake all night. Not that he would ever ask. They weren’t friends. They were reluctant allies at best.

Draco showered and went up for breakfast joining the rest of his house at their table. Not long after Harry arrived in the hall and walked straight to the Gryffindor table. Draco thought for a moment that he simply forgot where he was and would correct himself when the Gryffindors kicked him out, but to his surprise they didn’t shoo him away. In fact they all adjusted to allow him to sit comfortably.

The rest of the students looked to the professors expecting a reprimand but when non came more and more students got up and moved tables to sit with friends and family from other houses. The first year Slytherins stared in bafflement as the activity in the hall grew as more and more people chatted lively with those around them.

"He is so weird" Pansy said finally breaking their silence.

"He really is" Daphne laughed

"I suppose he wasn't entirely wrong though, everyone seemed pretty eager to change tables once they realized they could." Theo said looking around the hall.

"And yet, Slytherin is now the most empty table" Greg said. "

Ahem" someone said behind them. Draco turned to see Hannah and Susan holding their plates expectantly "Did you folks not get the memo?" Susan began, "We're breaking down the house barriers, now scoot."

Everyone looked at them in absolute astonishment but Draco and Theo shuffled down the bench giving the girls space to sit down.

Hannah took the place next to Draco and leaned in to whisper "is this okay? Susan insisted and I couldn't get your attention to ask before she started walking over."

Despite himself Draco laughed quietly at Susan's antics. "I did tell you she would suit Slytherin."

Hannah smiled at him and nodded "Yes I fear she would be unstoppable here, I'll need you to help keep an eye on her."

"I'll do my best" He said.

Harry

Harry was immensely pleased that his transgression this morning had the desired results. He knew the professors wouldn't make a fuss about one new student sitting at the wrong table and if many people followed suit like he hoped it would start an avalanche of students deciding to socialize outside of their house. He was sure in a few days that Dumbledore would institute some new rule about sitting with their assigned house to encourage house pride or whatever but by that point the movement would be unstoppable. Harry was adamant about breaking down the walls between houses and he was quite happy to see he was far from the only one.

Harry watched the professors reaction as he chatted with Neville, Ron, and Hermione. Most seemed to be quietly happy to see their students breaking the barriers, Sprout in particular wore a beaming smile as she watched her students sit with people they had likely never spoken to before. Snape appeared trepidatious as he watched Susan and Hannah approach the rest of the first year Slytherins. When they were accepted into the group and began chatting amicably Snape released a tension in his shoulders and looked around the room taking it all in. He looked directly at Harry and some of the tension returned before he quickly got up and left the hall.

After breakfast Harry walked with Draco to their first class of the year. Harry was extremely curious to see how Snape would treat him this time. They arrived first sitting down at the workplace together.

"I think this may be the first time you've shown up to potions early" Draco said.

"A lot easier to get here on time when you live next door." Harry replied.

Draco laughed then tried to hide it when more of their classmates began to appear.

They had to wait a couple minutes for Snape to make his entrance, throwing the door open, robes flowing elegantly behind him, and beginning his lecture about the elegance of potion making. In his first year Harry was admittedly intimated by the display, now he just wondered how Snape managed to make his robes flow like that, it had to be some kind of spell. Maybe one of his own design? He'd ask one day.

Harry's thoughts quickly drifted against his will to the memory of watching Nagini attack the man, biting deep into his neck and causing his death. Harry went still gripping his quill and trying to control his breathing. He found himself looking inside his core for the calming magic Hannah had mentioned, prodding around desperately until he felt a trickle of something that seemed to be trying to help him. He quietly inhaled and opened his eyes to find he hadn’t lost much time and no one seemed to have noticed his panic. He tried to send a silent thank you to its source within him and felt a warm glow like the magic was happy.

Snape finished his speech and paused looking around the room "It seems like some of you feel you are above the teachings of this class so I ask of you; What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Harry was surprised Snape ask the question to the class and not just to him, perhaps it was always part of his script to scare the first years and it just happened to be targeted at him the first time around.

As expected Hermione's hand shot into the air but Snape was not interested on calling on her. "Mr. Longbottom perhaps?"

Harry could only assume that Neville was as distracted as Harry was, potions was never Nevilles favourite class. Everyone turned to look at him in anticipation, he looked to Harry with a question burning in his expression. Harry smiled and nodded. No one knew ingredients better than Neville. If Snape wanted to intimidate them he chose the wrong person.

Neville smirked, "Asphodel and wormwood create Draught of Living Death, an incredibly powerful sleep potion."

Snape looked taken aback but pushed on "Where would you look if I asked you to find a Bezoar"

"They're found in the stomach of goats and are good antidotes for most poisons."

Snape started to look actually impressed as he asked his final question; "What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"Nothing, they are the same plant also known as aconite."

"Well it seems like this year of students isn't quite as incompetent as I expected. Five points to Gryffindor for coming to class prepared."

Snape continued with his lesson much the same as last time, though he seemed to take more care in explaining the instructions while going over their practical. This time Neville's cauldron didn't boil over at the end of class, in fact they all scored excellent grades on their potion.

Draco

"Mr. Malfoy." Snape said as they were cleaning up their workspace and packing their bags. "Would you stay behind with me for a moment please?"

Harry turned to him in confusion but Draco waved him off. "Of course Sir." He said "I'll catch up to you later Potter."

Harry cast a quick look to Snape and back to Draco. He gave a brisk nod understanding the meaning but he didn’t need Harry to remind him that his task was to talk with Snape about arranging occlumency lessons. Harry left the classroom trailing Theo to their next class leaving Draco and Snape alone in the classroom.

Draco stood waiting for instruction. Snape waved his hand transfiguring the furniture into lounge chairs and casting strong privacy wards on the room. He sat down gesturing for Draco to do the same.

"I have already informed Professor Flitwick that you will not be attending your charms lesson today. You will instead spend the class time explaining to me what exactly is going on with you."

Draco did his best to hide his shock and compose himself. He supposed he owed Hannah an apology for assuming she should have tried harder to keep their situation a secret from Susan. He could only hope his god father took it as well as Susan seemed too.

"What do you mean?" he said as he sank into his seat.

Snape narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "A month ago you were a spoiled brat" Draco couldn't fight the indignant scoff that came out at that. He opened his mouth to refute but Snape held up his hand and continued "it's to be expected of someone of your age and standing. What is not expected is for you to suddenly become timid and frightened of everything. So, what happened?"

Draco stared at his god father trying to decide where to start. The silence went on for long enough that Snape asked again softening his voice. "Draco if your father did something you can tell me, I can help you-"

Draco shook his head. He didn't want Snape to think this was his fathers fault, he wasn't a perfect man but he wasn't what Snape was clearly thinking. "Can I show you instead?" Draco asked

"Show me?" Draco pointed to his head. "I don't recall ever sharing my ability with you."

"Just the surface please." Draco said ignoring the other mans question, "I'll lead you to what you need to see."

"And what makes you sure you're capable of such a thing?"

"I'll show you, just trust me. Please."

Snape sighed and moved to sit next to Draco and grabbed his hand. "Let go if it’s too much and I'll get out." Draco nodded and held his god fathers hand. He wouldn't need the safety net as he was always able to kick Snape out by the end of his training but he was thankful for the support.

He felt the tickle of legilimancy as Snape started to try and gently open up his mind. He was clearly surprised by Draco's walls and waited patiently for him to open up and lead him in. Draco showed Snape everything from his previous life as well as some of the conversation he had with the other travelers though he kept their identity and some of their discussion a secret just in case. Once Draco had finished showing him everything he wanted to he guided Snape gently out of his head and replaced his shields.

When Snape opened his eyes they were wet with tears. He reached for Draco pulling him into a tight hug resting his chin on the top of his head. Draco found himself wrapped in Snapes embrace feeling safe and comforted.

"I'm so sorry Draco" Snape said through hitched breaths. "That is a fate I never wished for you."

Snape loosened his hold and reached for Draco's left arm. "May I?" He asks. Draco nods and Snape rolls up his sleeve to see his unmarked flesh heaving a sigh of relief.

"I'm not sure what has happened to you but I can tell you that the Dark Lord accounted for time travel when making his marks. Even going back to a time where he wasn't born yet wouldn't free you from his influence. Whatever you've experienced is something else entirely."

"Another timeline" Draco echoed what Harry had told them.

"Could be, though I'm not sure what that implies."

"Can we actually change things?"

"It appears that ship has sailed." Snape said as Draco curled in on himself in shame "There are going to be risks when it comes to making drastic changes as the outcomes are unknown. That being said the changes so far seem to be accepted by the timeline so it would stand to reason that you are not required to repeat your previous path."

Draco released a heavy sigh and began to cry against his god fathers shoulder.

"I don’t have to kill him again?" he asks though sobs.

Snape holds him close and rubs his back "No. No you don't"

Draco fell asleep in his arms exhausted by his relief.

 ~

Draco woke up peacefully for the first time in years. He was settled under a blanket on the couch in Snapes office who was no where to be found. Draco rubbed the sleep from his eyes and cast a tempus. He'd slept for hours missing most of his classes for the day.

He summoned a pot of tea and decided to wait until Snape returned to his office. In the meantime he took Hannah's advice and tried to look into core for whatever strange magic had settled there.

It wasn't long before Snape returned and interrupted his meditation. "Good you're awake. I told your professors that you weren't feeling well today and were resting in my office. You'll have to meet with them later to catch up on your lessons though. If you hurry I believe you can still make it to your flying lessons."

"Right" Draco said "Thanks for letting me sleep"

"You clearly needed it. Now, who will I be teaching Occlumency to?"

Draco smiled and made plans to bring Snape to their next meeting in the room of requirement before making his way to the pitch for his flying lesson.

Harry

The rest of Harry's classes were going about the same as he remembered. He found himself endlessly bored during the lectures so he passed the time by trying to reach the unusual magic he had felt within his core. He unfortunately did have to concentrate during the practical lessons as he needed to focus to pretend he was learning everything for the first time. He had trouble reigning in his magic during charms class, but since Flitwick was aware of his secrets he had more forgiveness for Harry's distraction and ability to cast all the spells on his first try.

Their mandatory flying lessons was the first big deviation in their school experience. Neville had never cared for flying after his accident in first year but he had learned over the years how to control his broom with ease if the need for flying ever arose. As such, he didn’t lose control, get injured, and drop the rememberall. Draco and Harry didn’t have their argument that lead to the challenge that recruited Harry onto the Gryffindor team as the schools youngest seeker.

Harry was absently wondering if McGonagall would even react the same seeing as he wouldn’t be playing for her team this time around when Draco elbowed him to get his attention.

"Don’t want to show off your flying this time?"

Harry laughed "Whose got time for Quidditch on top of everything else?"

"Darn, and I was really looking forward to beating you during tryouts."

"oh please, you're good but we both know I'm the better seeker. You would do so much better as a keeper anyway."

"What are you talking about Potter? I'm not a keeper."

"You should be. You have a good eye for assessing the play of the field, you could easily transfer your skill of dodging bludgers into blocking quaffles. Also you're good with short sprints, not the long distance endurance needed for tracking a snitch, but perfect for quickly transferring between goals."

 Draco was left speechless for a moment "You've put a lot of thought into my athletic ability."

"We were rivals on the field," Harry shrugged "I needed to know your strengths so I knew where to focus when playing."

"Perhaps if we have time in later years we can put your theory to the test."

Harry smiled "Finally starting to trust my judgement?"

"I suppose you're ideas aren't always total rubbish."

Neville

Harry had shown Neville a spell that would trap Pettigrew and prevent him from transforming into his human form, all Neville had to do was get him in a cage. Harry seemed all too excited about teaching him the spell and Neville left their conversation surprised that Harry didn’t make the hat sort him into Gryffindor again just for the sake of getting to trap the rat himself.

Neville thought about just inviting him up to their dorm but not only would it be suspicious if Ron's pet went missing following the visit of a Slytherin, but Neville was mostly worried that if Harry was in charge of trapping the rat he would take way too much pleasure in it.

Neville wasn't worried about catching Pettigrew but he was worried about how upset Ron would be when his rat went missing. He was seriously considering arranging to get another rat and transfigure it to look more like Scabbers but the thought of sleeping in their dorms for one more night with that man running around was too horrible. Its no wonder Ron had such trouble with transfiguration on Scabbers, in retrospect it was kind of impressive how much he was able to accomplish given the circumstance.

Neville decided he would leave dinner early tonight and trap Pettigrew before the others returned for the night, then he'd take him to one of the secret tunnels to stay until Hannah and Susan could pass him off to Amelia Bones. They originally thought to bring him to the room of requirement but they worried if they weren’t there with him the room would provide Pettigrew with the means to escape.

Before heading out Neville made sure to leave a box of candies partially open on his bed. He knew Pettigrew would get into them and promptly fall asleep from the sugar rush.

Neville sat with the Hufflepuffs at Dinner that night and watched as Dumbledore stared out into the hall with thinly veiled fury. Neville had noticed Dumbledore's tendency to favour Gryffindors in the past but this level of disgust over where the students chose to eat was unexpected. No one else seemed to notice his evident dislike of the situation except for him and the other travelers. Luckily most of the professors and even the castle ghosts seemed happy with the events at hand.

Neville finished up his food and said goodbye to Hannah and the other Hufflepuff first years.

When he made it back to the dorm room his box of candies was torn apart and fast asleep in the wrappers was Pettigrew. Neville conjured the small cage and gently lifted the rat placing him inside. He quickly cast the spell and the cage locked.

Pettigrew woke up to the magic around him and immediately began squealing in panic. He tried to activate his transformation as evident by the pull of magic and the faint screams of pain. Neville cast a silencing charm on the cage and the frantic noises stopped but the creature inside did not stop it's panicked movements. Neville cast a notice me not on himself and began the walk to the one eyed witch.

He arrived without being seen, cast the spell, and snuck into the passage. He walked a little ways in ready to hide the cage and be done with this for now when he heard the passage way open and someone enter. He pressed himself against the wall listening for who it could be.

"Hello?" Said a voice "Who would be needing to sneak -"

"-off to Hogsmeade at this hour?"

Neville sighed, of course the twins would know about the passage, that’s how Harry knew about it in the first place. They must have charmed it to alert them when it was opened or something. He cast a lumos bathing them all in light. It wasn't as bright as it had been back at Olivander's but Neville did have to put in considerable effort to dull his spell work so it didn't blind anyone by accident.

"Well well well" they said together "whats little Neville Longbottom doing with our little Ronnykins pet?"

"Not pulling a prank on him are you?"

"Something like that" Neville said trying to decide how much he should tell them. Draco was right about being careful who they told the truth to, he really didn’t want too many people to get involved with it all at least until they knew more.

"I'm on a mission" he decided "For the Marauders"

The twins exchanged looks and turned back to Neville "And who might they be?"

"Moony, Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail." Neville confirmed.

The boys excitement grew with each name. "Have you met them?"

"Would you introduce us?"

"The living ones yes, but to do so it is vital that I complete this mission."

"Consider us your underlings Mr. Marauder"

"We will ensure your mission is a success."

"This rat is actually an Animagus who killed Prongs and made an attempt on Padfoot. My mission is to secure him until he can be apprehended to face judgement."

Both twins turned a cruel look at the rat. "Consider it done, we can secure him in our room."

"It wouldn’t be first time we stole him for some experiments."

"You just let us know when its time to send him off, we'll make sure he can still talk."

Neville handed over the rat to the twins, pretending he didn’t notice the evil looks they were exchanging. He was certain they would uphold their promise to keep him secure and provide him in a healthy state for questioning later. In the mean time however Pettigrew would probably be wishing for Azkaban.

Hannah

Hannah had taken to casting illusions on her books to make them look like her textbooks. She spent most of her time reading up on ancient magic to try and find anything that might be useful.

During classes Hannah would meditate, trying to reach whatever new magic had appeared within her and the other travelers. Susan would sit beside her and nudge whenever it looked like their professors were going to call on her or were getting upset at her lack of concentration. Eventually someone would question why she never paid attention in class and read the same textbooks ten times over, but that was a problem for later.

For the moment no one seemed overly suspicious of her magical competency. She did her best to look like she was only just learning them and casting at a first year level but it turns out it's really hard to pretend you don't know something that's been a staple to your everyday life for several years.

Hannah was slowly settling in to her new life in the past. Despite everything else she had on her plate she was happy to see her housemates alive and well again. Out of the eight in her year only four of them survived the war.

Meagan and Sally-Anne were killed during the fighting at Hogwarts.

Zach had abandoned the fight but was found dead on the castle grounds after the battle was over, she liked to think he returned to fight but it was just as likely he had simply got unlucky in his escape.

Justin disappeared after he was barred from attending their seventh year and must have died sometime during the year. She had no way of knowing whether he had tried to fight, flee, or hide and It kept her up some nights thinking about what could have happened to him. She could only hope it wasn't a painful death but the people who got caught by death eaters especially at that time were often subject to cruel tortures.

Hannah had kept in touch with all her living housemates after the battle, obviously her and Susan remained close and Ernie and Wayne would meet them for dinner on occasion. The four of them would catch up as regularly as they could manage around busy schedules. They were all struggling in the aftermath of the war as the adults that had left the fight to them now decided that those traumatized by the battle had no place in law making or rebuilding society. They were too fragile or too angry or too young. They were honoured for their bravery and their sacrifice then left to pull themselves up. It was not the future she had envisioned when they learned they had won.

If there was a way for her and the other travelers to return to their original time she wasn't sure she'd want to go back. She wanted to find a way to save everybody if she could and that meant she had a lot of research to do.

After their classes one evening Hannah brought Susan to the room of requirement so they could talk in private. Hannah checked that they weren't being followed then paced back and forth in front of the painting to summon the room.

"Wow" Susan said in awe as the door appeared in front of them. "it becomes whatever you ask for?"

"There are limitations but mostly yeah." They walked inside to their usual cozy living room and sat down together to chat.

"So how did your secret meeting go?" Susan asks getting right into it.

"Well turns out there was a lot happening at school that I had no clue about. I'm pretty sure theres a lot more too they just haven't thought to mention yet."

"What did you expect from Gryffindor boys?"

"Fair enough" Hannah says through giggles. There wasn't a lot Neville knew that Hannah didn't, they didn't intentionally keep secrets but he could be pretty forgetful. Neither of them really liked talking about the war anyway. "Apparently Slytherin boys too."

Susans jaw dropped "There is another one of you?"

"Yeah, Draco Malfoy"

"Huh, that’s unexpected. Throws most of my theories right out the window."

Hannah sighs "Yeah same. He's not what I thought though. I can tell he's really trying to work with us despite, you know, him. When he saw Neville and I he said he was certain this was a targeted punishment for him."

Susan laughs "Appropriately dramatic for a Slytherin. So did you guys come up with a plan?"

"Yeah we've got a few objectives. We're going to meet up on Friday again to get a magical signature test done and set up some occlumency lessons for me and Neville. Actually I want you to come for that meeting, Harry wants to talk about getting his Godfather out of Azkaban."

"They're okay with me knowing?"

"Well Draco was a little put out but he'll get over it. Also Harry apparently told Flitwick."

"Our charms professor?"

"Yeah Harry's a friend of Goblin's and since he's part goblin he recognized him or something like that."

"Huh, cool. So how can I help with Harry's Godfather?"

"We want to get Amelia to look into the case, but it needs to be kept lowkey. We don't want anyone to know about it until its too late for another cover up."

"That's ominous, who is he?"

"Sirius Black"

Susan took a deep breath in "Sirius Black? Like mass murderer death eater Sirius Black?"

"The one and only. Though he's not either of those things."

"Naturally. What do I have to work with?"

"He didn't get a trial before he was convicted and Neville's working on catching the one whose actually guilty so he can be questioned."

"Okay, that should be easy enough. I've got a few ideas."

Harry

Harry knew they were trying to limit the amount of people who knew about them but Harry couldn't risk Hagrid going to Dumbledore. He needed to let the half giant know somehow that he really couldn't tell Dumbledore anything, the only way he could think of was telling the truth.

After an early dinner he walked out to the hut and knocked on the door.

"Ello 'Arry" Hagrid said opening the door.

"I'm sorry to come unannounced so late in the evening but do you have a moment to chat?"

"Come in, I'll get some tea brewin' fer us."

Harry stepped in and took a seat on one of the large chairs. Fang immediately curled up onto his lap and began to whine for Harry to pet him, Harry obviously obliged.

"A big softy he is." Hagrid said pouring them each a cup of tea and sitting down across from Harry. "So what brings yeh out 'ere."

"I just wanted to chat. Do you mind if I…" He pulled out his wand and gestured to the room around them.

"Course y'can, but I don' reckon anyone'd wanna be eavesdroppin' round here."

Harry cast the spell and took a deep breath. "That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about." Harry thought about how he wanted to go about explaining himself but everything he could think of would just ended up upsetting Hagrid and getting them nowhere.

"I need to tell you something important but I'm afraid its going to sound pretty unbelievable. Would you allow me to make a magical vow?"

"If yeh reckon it is necessary you do what you need ta."

Harry held out his hand for Hagrid who grasped It within his. "I vow on all the magic within me that I will speak only the truth as I know it for the duration of our conversation tonight."

Harry felt the vow settle between them before starting. "I'm not from this timeline" Harry began. "I traveled here to the day I got my Hogwarts letter but I don't know how or why. I've already finished school and fought in a war that is to come. I left the Dursley's when I realized I was somehow back here as I refuse to be subject to their abuse any longer."

Hagrid listened rubbing his chin in thought "Blimey, that’s quite a tale. Why yer tellin' me?"

"We're quite good friends in my time you and I. " Harry said smiling at him, "also I believe there is someone who would seek to harm me if they learned the truth, I need to ask that you do not tell them about me."

"Who?"

Harry took a deep breath "Dumbledore"

"Dumbledore'd never, yeh know!"

"I know, I thought so too until very recently. But he asked to speak with me in his office the other day. He said it was a mistake the hat placed me in Slytherin and practically demanded that I switch houses. When I refused he attempted to obliviate me."

"That’s a mighty serious accusation tha' is"

"Magical vow" Harry said "I promise I am telling you only the truth of what I've experienced. I really don't want to believe it either, but until I know more I can't risk anyone telling him anything about me."

"that’s what yeh really needed to tell me?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry Hagrid, I know he's really important to you."

"He is the reason I was allowed to stay at school y'know."

They both paused, Harry staring at the ground. He hated that he had to ask this of his friend.

"Tha' being said," Hagrid begins again "If he can use magic like 'at on a lil' one just fer bein' a Slytherin, well, he ain' the bloke I thought he was, yeh know?"

Harry looked up and smiled with relief, "Thank you Hagrid. I know this all must be hard to take in."

"I wont go sharin any of yer secrets 'Arry. I reckon it's time fer me ter be practicin' me occlumency more. Been lettin' me guard down a bit lately.

"I may have a teacher for you."

Chapter Text

Hannah

With the end of the week came the time for their second meeting in the room of requirement. Hannah and Neville arrived first yet again, this time bringing Susan with them. Hannah had let the others know during the week that she intended to bring Susan along to this meeting and no one had objected.

Draco came next bringing professor Snape with him. Snape looked around the room setting his gaze on Neville, "I suppose this explains how you knew the answers to my questions in class" he said joining them on the couches.

Neville shrugged, "You asked the same questions first time around."

"And you remembered them all these years later?"

"I remembered you were a bit of a git, maybe not all the specifics." Snape looked shocked while Hannah and Susan tried and failed not to laugh. "I'm an herbologist" Neville continued looking only mildly apologetic "I mostly just know plants, but I did work with an apothecary so I learned about most common ingredients."

Before Snape could reply Harry entered the room with professor Flitwick in tow. Flitwick took in everyone around the room eyeing his coworker "Severus" He said "I suppose your godson can account for your being involved in with this?"

"Indeed." Snape said, "How did you find yourself privy to their secrets?"

"Well other than the fact these four can't even pretend to pay attention in class" Flitwick said glaring pointedly at Hannah and Harry "Harry managed to be named a goblin friend before arriving at school."

"Sorry professors" Hannah said to both of them "we are trying, but… we got a bit going on at the moment."

"yes I can understand why first year charms might be a bit irrelevant in your case"

"So" Harry says getting the ball rolling "Before we get into the reasons we've asked you two to join us does anyone have any updates on their designated tasks?" Harry looked straight at Neville practically vibrating waiting for confirmation that Pettigrew was captured.

"The rat has been secured" Neville said with a sigh while an unnaturally wide smile appeared on Harry's face "I did have a bit of a hiccup in hiding him though. Fred and George found me in the passageway so I told them I was on an important mission for the Marauders. They jumped at the opportunity to help."

At the mention of the Marauders Snape's attention snapped to Neville. "The Rat?" he asked in utter astonishment, "You mean Pettigrew!?"

"Oh good thinking Neville, that genius getting them on about the Marauders." Harry told his friend and Neville beamed. Harry then turned to Snape "Yes" He confirmed "Pettigrew has been hiding with the Weasley's as their pet for the past several years."

Snape sat back against his seat deep in thought. "Sirius wasn’t the secret keeper was he?"

"No" Harry said. Hannah was surprised anything could draw his attention from hearing about how Peter was being treated by the Weasley twins.

"Idiot" Snape said quietly to himself "I tried to tell them about Peter. After everything I just assumed Sirius was more subtle about his allegiances to the dark lord."

"Why would Sirius have wanted to killed Peter if they were on the same side?" Harry asked

"Peter was a rat in all regards" Snape said with a sneer, "Remus and I assumed Sirius had planned to take him out so he wouldn't tell anyone about who was a death eater, it just didn’t go as planned. I know it sounds a little convoluted but it all made sense with what we knew at the time."

"You talked with Remus?" Harry asked confused.

"We're friends."

"You hated each other in our timeline."

"We had our differences as students for sure, but as adults after the war we only really had each other."

"And you get along?"

"We meet for tea frequently, I help him with his-" he looked around the room "problem" he finished. Hannah smiled, they all knew Remus was a werewolf except maybe Flitwick but he'd be the last to judge someone for having creature blood. Hannah gained an immense respect for Snape for choosing to keep his friends secret.

"Okay we're coming back to this later, clearly something changed between you last time around and I think I have an idea as to what. For now," Harry said turning his attention back to Neville, "the twins have Peter secured?"

"Yes" Neville confirmed, "They've hidden him in their dorm and will keep him alive and sane until the trial can go ahead. I didn't explicitly tell them not to anything in the meantime."

Harry smiled wide, Hannah expected she might be hearing about Harry befriending the twins in the next week.

Susan clearly unsettled by the look on Harry's face decided it was time to move on "I sent my aunt a letter this morning" She said getting his attention, "I've got a few ideas about getting her interested in the case. Give it a week or two and she'll be all over it."

"Are you sure you're not meant to be in Slytherin?" Draco asked her.

"I could have been" She said turning to him "But it's a lot harder to manipulate people when you're in the house known for exactly that." Draco couldn't help but laugh at that. "Besides I think I'm really more suited to Hufflepuff anyways, I couldn't do nearly as much without my friends." she shrugged.

Hannah smiled and rested her head on her friends shoulder "Love you too" she said quietly as Susan leaned into her as well.

"May I suggest, if you haven't already considered it, that Miss Bones joins in our occlumency lessons?" Snape said to the girls.

"Can I?" Susan asked excitedly.

"It does make sense seeing as you know pretty much everything we do." Draco said. 

Snape nodded "It will be harder for you to learn as your magic isn't as matured as your friends, but I will teach the three of you all I can."

"Actually," Harry cut in "Do you think you can maybe add Hagrid to your list of Students?"

"Why Hagrid?" Neville asked.

"I kind of had to tell him about me" Harry said and Draco dropped his head to his hands, rubbing his forehead in what was beginning to be his signature pose. Hannah felt immense sympathy for the amount of headaches they were giving him.

"I'm sorry" Harry continued "I should have talked to you all about it first. He found me at the Leaky Cauldron before school and saw me with a glamour on. I managed to ease his suspicions for the time but after everything with Dumbledore I thought it was prudent he knew how important it is to not tell the headmaster anything about us."

Draco sighed "I'm annoyed you didn't tell us you were doing that but I think you made the right call."

"I'm guessing it went okay given you want him to join the occlumency lessons?" Neville asked.

"That was his idea." Harry replied "I knew he wouldn't want to believe anything I told him so I made a magical vow that I would tell him only truths during our conversation that day."

"I will speak to Rubeus about arranging for lessons. I assume I am allowed to inform him of my involvement?" Everyone nodded "As for you three I suggest you visit my office in the guise of a study group, that should be more than enough of an explanation for your classmates to not question anything."

"Well" Harry said "That’s all that sorted, is there anything else we missed before we get cracking?" No one made to add anything so Harry continued "Brilliant. Professor if you would like to take it from here, I believe Argos was able to get you what you needed?"

"Yes," Flitwick said, "I am not as practiced with this magic as Argos is so it will likely take longer to produce the results."

"That’s perfectly fine professor, this saves us from having to sneak out of school to visit the bank."

Snape adopted his godsons position of hanging his head in his hands. "If you intend to remain anonymous within the school I would recommend against any plans to sneak out."

Harry laughed "Yeah that’s fair."

"Regardless, I am happy to be of assistance." Flitwick continued, "Now if we would like to get started? You will feel a foreign pull against your magic, It cannot harm you so please try not to fight against it. All I need is for you to place a drop of blood on the spelled parchment and give your consent for the test to be conducted."

Neville volunteered to go first and one by one they all received their results.

Neville

Name

Neville Francis Longbottom

Bonded Partner

Hannah Jules Longbottom Nee Abbott

Born

July 30th 1980 (alternate timeline)

Parents

Alice Isobel Longbottom Nee Greengrass (Deceased)

Francis (Frank) Alfred Longbottom (Deceased)

Guardians

Augusta Longbottom - Paternal Grandmother

Lily and James Potter - God Parents (Deceased)

Kinsley Shacklebolt - God Father

Algernon Longbottom - Paternal Great Uncle

Titles 

Lord Longbottom

Lord Gryffindor

Heir Shacklebolt

Master of Magic

Master of Time

Neville was slightly confused by his results. Before he even made it down the list to his odd titles he was caught on the indication that his parents were both deceased. He panicked for a moment thinking maybe something had happened at the hospital while he was at school. But nothing like that had happened in their first time line and he didn't think anything they changed up till now could have caused anything as major as that.

"Harry" He asked "Your parents are listed as my godparents, were mine listed as yours?"

"yeah they were actually."

"Are they listed as deceased for you too?"

"Yeah. That’s weird isn't it?" He said thinking.

"From what I understand" Flitwick began "The spell looks for the magical signature of the listed names to determine status. Since your folks would have a dormant core in their current state the test would not be getting an accurate gauge of their health."

"What about listed people who don't have magic?" Hannah asked

"I believe they are listed as being untraceable. Shall we find out?"

Hannah

Name

Hannah Jules Longbottom Nee Abbott

Bonded Partner

Neville Francis Longbottom

Born

January 18th 1980 (alternate timeline)

Parents

Elizabeth Mary Abbott Nee Jhonson (unknown)

Henry Oliver Abbott (Deceased)

Guardians

Amelia Bones - God Mother

Nicholas Abbott - Paternal Uncle (Deceased)

Gregory Abbott - Paternal Uncle (Deceased)

Julia Jhonson - Maternal Grandmother (Deceased)

Titles 

Lady Abbott

Lady Hufflepuff

Master of Magic

Master of Time

Hannah was beginning to see a trend in their results. Neville being Lord Gryffindor could be explained away as having something to do with him wielding the sword of Gryffindor during the war, but she could think of no possible reason for her being Lady Hufflepuff.

Susan looked over both of their results "Ten galleons says Draco's Heir of Slytherin."

Hannah laughed "I'm not interested in losing an obvious bet today thanks."

"Heir of Slytherin?" Draco asked having not yet seen their sheets "Really?"

Draco

Name

Draco Lucius Malfoy

Born

June 5th 1980 (alternate timeline)

Parents

Narcissa Rose Malfoy Nee Black

Lucius Abraxas Malfoy

Guardians

Severus Snape - Godfather

Erika and Lawrence Goyle - God Parents

Amanda and Christoper Crabbe - God Parents

Bellatrix Lestrange - Maternal Aunt

Andromeda Tonks - Maternal Aunt

Titles 

Lord Slytherin

Heir Malfoy

Heir Black

Heir Prince

Heir Goyle

Heir Crabbe

Master of Magic

Master of Time

"Harry" Draco finally said after looking over his results. "I can't imagine you got Lord Ravenclaw so where do you fit into this pattern of Houses?"

"I don't know. I didn't get anything like that." Harry began trailing off as he thought about it, conjuring up a copy of his list. "Oh." he said face beginning to turn pink "Okay, in my defense I didn’t really read over my lordships in too much detail." he said sheepishly passing his list to Draco

Draco read it over and took a deep breath in to calm the familiar frustration bubbling at Harry's apparent stupidity. "Lord Hogwart." He finally said through clenched teeth.

Neville and Hannah immediately circled behind Draco to get a look at the list as Susan held her stomach in laughter. "You didn't think anything about that was maybe important to mention earlier?"

Harry's face continued turning redder as both Hannah and Neville laughed at the obvious clue he had missed. "I'm sorry!" he blurted out waving his hands "It didn't catch my attention. Obviously I would have said something if I had the title of one of the founders."

Draco sighed and sat back handing his list to Snape to look over. "Well it looks like we all got Master of Time and Master of Magic, but you're the only one with Master of Death."

"Probably has something to do with the whole 'he died and came back' thing" Neville mentioned.

Both professors looked up startled at that revelation. Hannah held up her had to warn them off questioning. "Do NOT get him started on that, it will only confuse you more."

Snape looked over Harry's list and his jaw dropped "I'm one of your Godfathers?" he asked.

"You didn’t know?"

"I must have, you have to do a whole blood ritual to magically claim the title, I couldn't not know. But I didn't, I have no memory of any of this."

Harry pressed his hands to his mouth in thought, "could someone have cast an obliviate on you without you knowing?"

"I suppose its possible but I find it unlikely I wouldn’t notice the remnants of the spell within my mind."

"We'll have to add that to the list of mysteries, if someone can remove memories and any trace of them being there I want to know who and how."

Hannah

As everyone read their result Hannah thought about the implications of them inheriting the titles of the Hogwarts founders. Well mostly anyway, she'd never heard of a Lord or Lady Hogwart though she supposed it must be who the school was named after.

Then there was their missing Ravenclaw, if all four of them were brought back in time why wouldn’t there also be a Lord or Lady Ravenclaw.Hannah went through all the Ravenclaws in their year, she couldn't think of anyone who seemed out of place or acting strange though she hadn't been looking for it. She would make an effort to talk to them this week see if she could scope anything out.

A revelation hit her faster than she could even process it. If their inheritance was related to their time travel perhaps it was one of the founders that had written the message Harry found.

"Harry, can I see that letter again?" She asked.

Harry handed her the copy and she read it over, her eyes catching on one specific word. 'require'. "Those who require her help will always be heard" She quietly read aloud.

She closed her eyes and tried to reach the strange magic in her core. 'You are Hufflepuffs magic, aren't you?' she thought to it. She felt the magic slowly emerge from within her core turning warm and bright. She smiled wide able to reach and touch it for the first time. 'Thank you for helping me' she thought to it 'Do we need you to open the door?'.  She felt the magic urge her up and to the back of the room just like it had when leading her to the room of requirement before sending her back in time.

She got up confidently and followed its lead pressing her hand against the wall and letting her magic flow into the stones. She gasped as the walls moved, opening up an archway leading into a beautifully decorated expansive library. The other travellers got up and came over walking into the room taking it all in.

"This is incredible" Draco said "How did you do that?"

"The magic we felt," Hannah began, "it’s the founders magic. I just let it know that I knew what it was and asked for help."

"Welcome" a deep voice said from across the room. Hannah startled and turned to look in that direction. Nestled in a corner of the room was a seating area with five portraits hanging on the wall above it. Hannah immediately recognized four of them as being paintings of the four founders. In the middle of all of them was a beautiful young woman she didn't recognize. "You must be quite an intelligent group of witches and wizards to find us so quickly." the voice of Godric Gryffindor continued.

Everyone just stared in shock unable to answer. Finally Neville spoke in reply "I believe we have several questions for you if you would be interested in some company?"

The portrait of Gryffindor laughed and gestured to the seats below them. "You must be mine" he said smiling.

"If you would like your friends to join you must invite them inside." Hufflepuff spoke.

Hannah turned to see Susan and their professors staring at the wall and touching it in confusion.

"How do we do that?" Draco asked.

Hannah guided her magic towards her friend, 'She is welcome' she thought to it and the magic warmed again settling around Susan. Susan gasped as the room came into view and she walked in to join the others.

Hufflepuff smiled "My girls figured it out." she said proudly.

Hannah did the same for Snape and Flitwick allowing them to access the library.

"This is incredible" Snape said looking around.

"I suppose I can't expect any of you to focus in class with all this at your disposal." Flitwick said.

"I believe some introductions are in order." Slytherin spoke to the group, drawing their attention back to the collection of portraits. "I imagine you know who most of us are but regardless, I am Salazar Slytherin. This is Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, Godric Gryffindor, and our mystery in the middle there is Heather Hogwart."

"It is an honour to meet you" Harry started, "My name is Harry Potter"

The others all responded with their names in turn and settled themselves on the chairs to chat.

Chapter Text

Harry

"To start what I expect is going to be a long conversation, I would like to say that I am very sorry you find yourselves here with us today." The portrait of Heather Hogwart spoke. She looked younger than the other founders by at least a decade with glowing brown eyes and dark curly hair that matched her skin. "It is only under critical circumstances that we call upon wizards to change the fate of our world as we did many years ago."

"So we're not the first travelers then?" Neville asked.

"No, we developed the ritual when fighting in our time nearly wiped out magic from the world entirely. We decided the only way to fix things was to find a way to go back. Later when facing death we decided to combine ourselves with our magic to protect the world for generations to come. It is that remaining spirit that calls upon those with strong alignments to protect wizarding kind when times are dire, it has only happened one other time about half a century ago." Hogwart continued.

"That resulted in the separation of wizard and muggle politics by removing wizarding families from the throne of muggle power." Ravenclaw continued.

"The throne? You mean some of the monarchy were wizards?" Hannah asked.

"Yes, Richard III was the last wizard to be named king. He apparently had plans that lead to widespread destruction for muggles and wizards alike and was deposed by the last travelers. They set up the system of diplomatic representation in its place."

"Richard III as in the king who was suspected of killing his young nephews for the crown?" Harry asked.

"I believe that is the story they settled on yes. They would be happy to know it's held up after all this time, the brothers in question were wizards as well and simply went to school early for protection. Nicholas Flamell would know more about all that, I expect you'll be meeting with him very soon." Hogwart answered.

Gryffindor laughed "He's going to be so upset you found us first, he spent so many years working on his big speech and everything."

"Was he one of the travelers?" Harry asked.

"No but he was very close with them. It was several years before they all found each other and realized what was required of them, they wanted to give the next generation a better chance to use all the time they were given. It seems like their worries were misplaced." Gryffindor replied.

"They gave up their magical cores to create a stone that would keep Nicholas alive and alert him when the rituals magical residue was traced in the timeline. He's been alive for a long time waiting to be of assistance to you." Ravenclaw continued.

"Can the stone be used by anyone else?" Harry asked. He was told in first year that Flamell decided to destroy the stone for fear of it getting to the wrong hands but clearly that wasn't the whole truth.

"No, it was a very complicated and dangerous thing to do." Slytherin explained. "The stone was designed to only work for Flamell and now that it's purpose is complete it's likely just a shiny rock."

"Well that solves one of my problems this year so brilliant." Harry replied happily. He could cross one thing off his list of goals, he'd be adding at least five more by the end of the conversation but he would still count this as progress.

"So why call us? We had a war during our school years but the worst of it was over, there were still many, many, problems, but it didn't feel exactly extinction level like the other two situations." Neville said.

"I'm afraid we don't know. We don't have any knowledge of a time beyond this one." Hogwart replied sadly.

"If the fighting was over it is likely something else triggered your summoning. War is often is a blindfold used to distract the masses so men in power can act in darkness." Hufflepuff supplied.

"So we have to prevent the war and find whatever else was going on that brought us here." Neville said.

"We really are supposed to make changes?" Draco asked almost pleading. Slytherin looked to him with a deep understanding. "Yes" Slytherin answered with confidence staring straight at Draco as if he knew Draco was the one who had been struggling the most. "You have no attachment to the last timeline other than the memories you carry with you." Draco stared back trying to take in every word that would assure him he was allowed to make different choices. He clutched his left arm close to his chest and closed his eyes as tears fell despite his considerable efforts. Snape wrapped his arm around Draco's shoulder to pull him closer.

 "It is likely that in preventing the war those who would have benefit from it will make themselves known. Men who thrive in the shadows war creates cannot hide in the light of peace." Hufflepuff continued.

"Well that gives us a place to start at least." Hannah said then turned to Harry "I'm sorry to say but I think that’s going to be your department Harry."

Harry laughs "That’s fair, I probably know the most in that regard. Is there anything we need to know about the ritual? Any side effects or rules to follow?"

"Well the ritual will return travelers to the earliest age that a wizards magical core is strong enough to handle the recoil of magic as powerful as it is. We have found that it will deposit individuals in a group if that time is within a couple months of each other." Ravenclaw supplied.

"You will also find that your aging will be accelerated until your body catches up to the age of your mind." Gryffindor continued.

"That explains why we all landed on the same day then. But shouldn’t there be five of us?" Hannah asked.

"The ritual deposits a person at the set time in their life. Its incredibly lucky that the four of you are the same age and all came together. If your Ravenclaw companion is younger or older than you they would arrive at the time their core is developed." Hogwart said.

"How can you tell it’s a Ravenclaw we're missing?" Neville asked, "You could also tell which of us were Gryffindor and Hufflepuff."

"In order to cast the ritual our magical spirits had to merge with your core, that’s only possible if they are exceptionally similar to begin with. With a similarity that strong its easy to identify who was chosen by each of us." Slytherin said.

"That would explain why the sorting hat said we were familiar then? It could sense your magical spirit?" Neville sat up like he had just remembered something and adopted Draco's signature pose slumping forward. "I told the hat I'd try to summon it to talk but completely forgot." Hannah leaned into him patting his back.

"Don’t worry my boy he'll forgive you, eventually." Gryffindor laughed. "That hat can hold a grudge but I'm sure he'll be happy for any company."

"If Dumbledore's treatment of our portraits is any indication the poor hat is probably locked up in a cupboard for the year." Slytherin said with disgust.

Harry went rigid as he started to slip back into a memory of being at the Dursleys. He tried to fight it and stay present but he was going too fast, he faintly felt something touching his hand as he fought to get out.

Neville

Neville was just getting over his embarrassment at forgetting the hat when Slytherin mentioned the cupboard, he looked to Harry first then at Hannah who was already getting up to walk over to him. Neville felt so proud of her in that moment for knowing exactly what to do like she always does.

She walked up to Harry's seat before anyone else around even noticed something was wrong. She knelt next to the sofa and held his hand squeezing it in a calming pattern.

"Harry" She said to him "Harry you're okay, you're safe here with your friends." When she got no reply she continued. "Can you hear me Harry? Please squeeze my hand back if you can." Harry must of squeezed back because she sighed in relief. "Follow my voice Harry, you're not really there, you're here with us, come back to us."

Harry's eyes opened and he looked around the room heaving gasps as his body finally stopped shaking. Hannah squeezed his hand again drawing his attention. "You're okay Harry, it was a memory. Breathe with me." Harry nodded and took a deep breath in time with Hannah's lead. He relaxed into his seat whispering a thank you to her.

"Sorry" Harry said after he had calmed down and Hannah returned to her seat next to Neville. He pulled her close next to him rubbing her arm gently, she would likely be crashing hard later after that adrenaline rush. "Shit I never thought I'd have something in common with a hat." Harry continued,  "We're breaking him free if that’s the case, hat or not I will not stand for that treatment."

"I'm very sorry to have caused you stress Harry," Slytherin said "I don’t have to imagine what kind of things you must have experienced to cause a reaction like that one." He turned to Snape "You are the school's potion master correct?" Snape nodded "I have several notes I would like you to look over and experiment with, I believe they will be very useful to help our friends heal."

"I would be honoured to look over your research." Snape said trying to keep his indifferent mask on but his obvious excitement was radiating out through the cracks. Slytherin just smiled.

"I didn't think any of you had portraits made." Flitwick said joining the conversation now it seemed like the kids didn’t have any more pressing questions to ask.

"Most were destroyed over the years." Hufflepuff explained "As much as people love hoarding knowledge it is also greatly feared. We each only have two portraits left, both with layers of protections upon them to prevent damage of any kind. These in our library so we can talk with our travelers and small ones in the Headmasters office so we can advise on the running of our school." Hufflepuff answered. 

"You talk with Dumbledore?"

"No, your current headmaster did not like our advice and tried to destroy us." Gryffindor said clenching his fists. "He was unable to do so, so he placed us in a concealed chest and removed us from the castle entirely."

"Okay, adding retrieve secret hidden portraits to the list of goals." Harry said.

"You have a list?" Susan asked, "how long is it?"

"In my head" Harry said gesturing to his forehead "Though long enough I think I ought to start writing things down."

Hannah laughed quietly " I don’t know about you all but I need to sleep before all this information actually explodes my brain." Everyone expressed their agreement through nods or exclamations, the portraits just smiling knowingly. "Before we call it, what are our top goals for this week?"

Harry thought it over for a moment before taking charge. "Hannah, Neville, and Susan need to get started with occlumency lessons with Snape. Susan I also need you to keep working on getting your aunt interested in Sirius' case. Draco and Flitwick can you start looking through this library for anything that might be useful for us to learn? We don’t know what we'll be facing yet so any extra magic we can learn could give us a leg up when it comes down to it. I'll work on Quirrell and the philosophers stone, we need to make sure he goes for the stone at the end of the year again so we can corner and capture him." Harry trailed off in thought.

Neville was reminded of the Harry who taught them all defense in their fifth year and took charge at the Battle of Hogwarts. With him leading them he had complete confidence that they would achieve every goal they set for themselves.

"I believe this may go without saying" Flitwick began "But I am going to have very low expectations from you four in my class. Susan, I still expect you to pay attention."

Susan smiled and nodded "Fair enough."

"Agreed" Snape said "You will still have to do the minimum in order to avoid suspicion from your classmates however. I also recommend recruiting McGonagall and Sprout to your circle, having your heads of house on your side will be incredibly useful in preventing inquiry from Dumbledore."

"You think they can be trusted with this?" Hannah asked. 

"If I may" Hufflepuff began "I have no doubt that those two can be trusted based on what we have learned from the other paintings around the castle. They have little loyalty to the current headmaster and his scheming."

"Most of the staff are quite disappointed with the running of the school at the moment." Flitwick added. "Dumbledore is declaring a new rule at breakfast that students must sit with their housemates."

"Okay Neville and I can talk with them." Hannah assured.

"Is that the exact wording he intends to use?" Harry said with a mischievous grin.

"yes I believe so." Flitwick said, Snape watched harry with a level of concern like he had seen that face before and knew exactly what it meant.

"Brilliant."

Hannah

Due to the late hour the crew decided to head back to their dorms with the escort of their professors to prevent getting in trouble with any other teachers. Snape left with Draco and Harry to head down to the Slytherin rooms while Flitwick walked with Hannah, Susan, and Neville. They walked towards Gryffindor tower first and it took Neville a moment to recall the correct password. When the portrait door opened McGonagall was sitting by the entrance waiting for him.

"Mr. Longbottom" She began not yet noticing the others "I was beginning to think I would have to go out looking for you. Care to explain to me why you feel the need to stay out past curfew on a regular basis."

"We um…" Neville trailed off and was thankfully spared from answering by Flitwick's interjection.

"Minerva" He said finally grabbing her attention "I'm afraid its my fault for losing track of time, these students were with me this evening looking into some interesting new research they found."

"I see. In that case I must thank you for ensuring he found his way to bed, which I expect him to be IN before the hour is up." she said turning a hard glare on Neville.

"Of course professor" he said taking a few steps backwards, waving to his friends, and heading up to his room.

"I'd also like to hear all about this new research that has made you lose track of time Fillius, it must be quite interesting,"

Flitwick smiled "I am sure Neville will tell you all about it once he has a chance to get some rest. It is truly fascinating."

"Very well, I look forward to it. Now you ought to see young miss Bones and miss Abbott off to Pomona before she starts to worry as well."

"Yes I do believe you are correct. Goodnight Minerva, come along now girls."

"Goodnight Fillius. Miss Abbott, Miss Bones." She said nodding to each girl in turn.

They left the tower making their way down to the kitchens where Hufflepuff common room was located.

"Miss Abbott" Flitwick got her attention as the walked.

"yes?" She inquired.

"Am I correct in assuming that you were a healer in the other timeline?"

"Yeah I was training at St Mungo's for a few years."

"What you did for Harry in there was very impressive and takes a great level of compassion and understanding to do."

"Thank you Sir" She could tell he was sincere in his praise and braced herself for the but she knew was coming.

"I must caution you to make sure you are taking care of yourself as much as the others." he continued  "You have all experienced very traumatizing things, and its great that you can help your friends, but do not let doing so sacrifice your own well being."

Hannah thought on his words, that wasn't what she was expecting to hear. She had been through the war sure but others had experienced far worse than she did. She didn't have nightmares or flashbacks like the others did.

"I'll try, but I'm not sure I understand what you mean. I feel fine." she shrugged.

"Everyone is affected by traumatic experiences in different ways. Sometimes it's more obvious like with the boys, but even they each have different responses no? Sometimes the scars we bare are easier to hide, even from ourselves."

"I suppose that makes sense" Hannah agreed.

"Just think about it." Flitwick said "You have a lot going on right now, the last thing anyone needs is you burning yourself out trying to manage the emotional well being of all your friends before your own."

"I-" Hannah started but she couldn't argue the point. She sighed, "I guess you're right, I'll work on it."

"Perhaps we should have Harry add it to his list." Flitwick said and both girls laughed.

When they made it to their house Professor Sprout was waiting for them just like McGonagall had been.

"Girls" she said standing up in relief "Off to bed now both of you."

"Sorry for worrying you professor" Hannah said as she and Susan made their way to their dorms. She could hear Flitwick and Sprout whispering to each other as they stepped outside. Hannah was pretty sure Sprout would be asking her a bunch of questions in the morning.

They quietly entered their dorm trying not to wake their sleeping housemates. They got ready to sleep and began settling into their beds.

"Hannah" Susan whispered to her "This is all pretty crazy isn't it?"

Hannah laughed quietly "Yeah it is."

Susan looked towards their housemates and quietly made her way over to Hannah's bed getting in with her. "Are you really okay with everything?"

Hannah sighed as the girls snuggled up together under the covers. It reminded her of all the sleepovers they used to have staying up late into the night talking about anything and everything when they were younger. "I don't know, I guess I feel like I don't really have the option of not being fine you know?"

Susan nodded "Like if you let go everything will collapse around you?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"You know," Susan started, looking into her eyes to make sure she was listening, "even if that does happen, everyone in that room tonight would help pick up the pieces."

Hannah felt tears forming in her eyes at the words. "Why do you always have to be right?" she said as she wiped her face.

Susan smiled and shook her head "Get some sleep Hann, do you want me to stay here with you?"

"yes please" she said snuggling into her friends hold and falling asleep.

Chapter Text

Harry

Harry really did try to sleep through the night but after hours of tossing and turning he decided he'd given it enough time and spent the rest of the morning in the common room reading some journals he'd grabbed from the secret library. He claimed one of the big reading chairs and lit the fireplace next to him summoning some coffee to give him energy. He missed the familiar warmth of the Gryffindor common room but all the green and silver was starting to grow on him. The giant window looking into the great lake still unnerved him though, he'd been in the lake in fourth year and never wanted to be anywhere near it again.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed when Snape sat down across from him with his arms folded. Harry looked up from his book and he knew he probably looked terrible, half dead at best.

"I know things are quite complicated at the moment but you still need to sleep eventually, you can't spend every minute researching." Snape said. 

Harry put the book down rubbing his eyes. "Can't sleep anyways, research just makes the time useful."

"Why can't you sleep."

"Dreams" Harry shrugs.

"You thought about using a dreamless sleep?"

Harry heaved a sigh "Yeah obviously, they don't work for me anymore." It came out a little harsher than he intended and he could see Snape was taken back a bit.

"Whats the nature of the dreams?"

"I know you're just trying to help but I really don't want to talk about this with you."

"I can brew something that will work for you." he said with certainty, "I just need to know what the dreams are, you don’t need to give details."

Harry picked at the lose threads of his seat. "They're memories" He said eventually.

Snape nodded, "Always the same or does it change?"

"They repeat eventually," He began, wanting to bite his tongue off even as he continued to speak "Theres enough they feel new by the time it circles back around."

"Come see me in my office after dinner tonight, I will have something for you to try."

Harry looked away trying to suppress the guilt building up in him. Snape wanted to help him, he kept telling himself, but he couldn’t fight the shame he felt for not being able to handle it himself. "Thanks" he said finally sensing Snape was waiting for a response.

Snape sighed "I may not remember becoming your godfather, and you are obviously are not too keen on me, but now that I know I do intend to take my responsibility to you seriously."

Harry finally looked to Snape trying to make him fit into the person he was in the previous timeline and it just didn’t make any sense. "I don't dislike you, it's just complicated." Harry fiddled more with the chair sighing and continuing "I don't like talking about it to anyone, not just you." He confessed.

"Will you add it to your list?"

"What?"

"Talk to someone about it, doesn’t have to be me, but someone. Please?"

Harry looked away again looking into the blaze of the fire. "Maybe" Harry said. He couldn't make a promise he knew he couldn't keep.

Snape sighed and straightened his robes. "Should I be worried for breakfast?"

Harry smiled slyly "I won't be breaking any new rules if that’s what you're asking."

Draco

When Draco made his way down to breakfast he couldn't help but wonder what kind of shenanigans Harry was going to pull. To his utter astonishment he found himself almost looking forward to it, a feeling he was most definetly not ready for. Heading to the Slytherin table he sat with Blaise and Theo who were intently reading as they ate. The girls were all at the Ravenclaw table discussing the Prophet with the other first years there. Even more surprising was Greg and Vince sitting at the Hufflepuff table chatting with the boys there.

Draco looked around at the hall at how much Harry and Neville had managed to change just by sitting with other houses. Every conversation in the hall had participants from at least two separate houses. He didn’t realize just how fragile the divides were, by their seventh year everyone had just decided that all Slytherins were evil and a total write off. He wasn't expecting them to be able to change something like that, certainly not so easily.

He grabbed a plate and took a look around the room to see who he might like to sit with. He spotted Harry with the Gryffindor first years and made to stand up to join when Dumbledore walked up to his podium and gathered the attention of the hall.

"Good Morning Students" He said with a twinkle in his eyes. "It has been wonderful these past few days to see everyone getting along with friends from other houses." Draco could see the quiet disgust show through his genial performance. "Unfortunately we must insist that you sit with your housemates for mealtimes." Every student in the hall stared at the headmaster waiting for an explanation of any kind. He simply continued "I ask that you please return to your tables for the remainder of this breakfast and all meals to come."

Grudgingly students left their seat and returned to their designated house table. The hall was filled with quiet murmuring and questioning. The Professors looking on with just as much disappointment as their students.

The hall remained nearly silent as everyone settled into their seats to finish their meal. Harry sat down next to Draco with a mischievous smile barely suppressed on his face, he looked around the room and subtly took his wand out by his side flicking it and muttering something under his breath.

As soon as Harry was finished the candles above them flickered, blinking on and off with all four house colours. When the display ended and everyone looked back down all the tables had been redecorated with the wrong colour. Gryffindor turned yellow, Hufflepuff was bathed in blue, Ravenclaw was adorned in Green, and Slytherin became the bright Gryffindor red. The hall erupted with laughter and cheers. Draco turned to look at Harry who could no longer even attempt to hide his wide smile.

"What?" He asked "We're all still sitting with our housemates aren't we?"

At that Daphne snorted and could no longer hide her smile at Harry's antics despite the clear disdain at the particular colour choice. The rest of the first years followed suit as their smiles and laughter began to break through their carefully constructed masks. Draco couldn't help his smile either, "Couldn’t be parted from Gryffindor for too long could you?"

"What can I say?" he shrugged "I look good in red."

Hannah

Hannah was chatting with Greg when Dumbledore made his morning announcement, she didn’t understand how no one else seemed to notice the disdain he could barely hide from his face, especially when he turned to look at the Slytherin Table. She looked to Harry as everyone got up to return to their seats and saw the wide smile on his face, she smiled knowing he had something planned from the moment Flitwick had mentioned the rule the other night.

She laughed along with everyone else when their table turned from yellow to blue. At Dumbledores insistence the professors tried, albeit not very enthusiastically, to return the décor to its intended colour to no success. Eventually they gave up and returned to their meal. Shortly after an influx of owls came flying into the hall dropping off letters for the students. Hannah opened up a letter from her mother and her face dropped. Susan noticed and leaned to read over her shoulder.

Dear Hannah,

I hope you're settling well into school.

How was your first week of classes? Any new friends I'll get to meet over the break?

I miss you so much! It's been so quiet at home without you girls around. Amelia's been quite busy with a project the last couple days but she said she arranged a meeting with the minister soon to get everything sorted. I think we're going to go out for dinner to celebrate.

Speaking of I hope you are enjoying the food and getting enough to eat, make sure you're eating your veggies too!

Love you lots,

Mum

"Shit" Susan said "That’s not good."

"What should we do?"

"We need to show Harry, but, we have the rat right?" Hannah nodded. "So we bribe her, tell her we can set her up with the real criminal if she agrees to go through the process as quietly as possible."

"Think that will work?"

"Best idea I've got."

~

After breakfast Hannah and Susan pulled Harry aside to show him the letter. They sat together out on the lawn to discuss what to do. Harry read the letter over multiple times thinking over their options.

"we'll write to her anonymously" he said "I think your right Susan, our best bet is to try and bribe her with Pettigrew for now. Say we have reason to believe someone will be looking to bury this again and she needs to get indisputable proof first."

"That should work" Hannah nodded, "Worst case I think we can trust her with the truth we just have to find a way to talk to her."

Hannah turned to Susan to ask about how she thought her aunt would handle the news when she noticed the tension building in her friend who fiddled with her wand and stared at the ground. "Sue, are you alright?" she asked leaning towards her friend to offer comfort if she wanted it.

"I'm so sorry" she blurted anxiety lacing every word. Hannah immediately reached for her hand but Harry beat her to words.

"You don’t have anything to apologize for." He said.

Susan looked up to him with tears beginning to fall from her eyes "You said it needed to be kept lowkey, I failed."

"You didn’t fail Susan." Harry said gently shaking his head, "You got your Aunt looking into the case. So theres a few extra steps we need to take to keep things lowkey, that’s not failing, its adapting." he shrugged

Hannah pulled Susan into a hug as she cried quietly into her robes.

"Really?" She asked through quiet breaths.

"Really." Harry confirmed, "I can't name a single plan of mine that worked out on the first try."

Susan laughed and breathed out steadying breath. "Okay" She said wiping the tears from her face.

"Are you up to helping us write the letter?" He asked. 

"yeah" she said with more confidence. Hannah smiled to Harry in thanks and returned the smile with a small nod. It was hard to remember sometimes that Susan was really still just an eleven year old girl, she was incredibly brilliant as she always was but she lacked the confidence of the Susan Hannah grew to know. She had no doubt that Susan would grow to be just as brave as the last timeline if not more so.

After much deliberation they settled on what to send Amelia, spelling the letter so it could only be read by her, and made their way to the Owlery to send it off as soon as possible.

Miss Amelia Bones,

It has come to my attention that you have taken an interest in the case of one Sirius Orion black. I applaud you for your commitment to justice but I must encourage you to refrain from sharing your findings with the minister for the time being. I have evidence to support my belief that his case was purposefully buried ten years ago. While I do not know the reasoning behind such an action I believe whatever individual was responsible will make things quite difficult for you if you proceed to take things to the Ministry.

If you are willing to proceed with discretion I can arrange to deliver you the true criminal for a routine interrogation allowing the case to be settled without the need of a court hearing.

If this in amenable to you please send a reply via Gringotts bank.

Harry also penned a quick letter to Argos to let him know they may be receiving a letter intended for him.

Neville

Neville spent the day in the Gryffindor common room with the other first years. He wasn't surprised that people gravitated to the same friend groups as last time. Parvati and Lavendar sat together on the couch gossiping about who they thought pulled the prank that morning, Ron sat by the fire playing a game of Chess with Dean while Seamus watched, all the while butting into the girls conversation to offer their opinions. All wildly incorrect of course. Everyone assumed the twins were responsible, but even if Neville didn't know it was Harry, he knew the twins would be proudly talking about it if it was their handiwork. They seemed to think it was him by the looks they kept shooting him but he just kept shaking his head. One day they'd find out it was Harry and hell would break loose on the castle with those three working together.

Neville and Hermione sat on the couch across from the other first years with textbooks in hand. Well Hermione was reading a textbook, Neville was reading one of the secret library journals spelled to look like his potions textbook. So far all he'd gotten to read is what they were already told by the portraits or figured out themselves.

He flipped to a page full of sketches of each of the founders wands and descriptions of their design, he flipped passed the page then paused and flipped back. He pulled out his wand from Ollivander's and compared it to the drawing.

"Of course" Neville said quietly to himself shaking his head. He leaned back into his seat in thought. Olivander had said to come find him when the time was right, he must have meant when Neville learned what his wand was. Ollivander had to know it was Gryffindor's wand, did he understand what that meant for Neville? Did he know where the other founders wands were? If they all could produce magic like Nevilles wand it would help them immensely.

Hermione thinking he was taking a nap instead of studying nudged him to wake him up. Once he adjusted and settled back into reading she smiled and returned to her own reading. Neville was happy that despite still gravitating to specific people their whole group of first years was choosing to spend time together. This timeline was going to be better for everybody.

Draco

Draco spent the morning playing chess with Theo who managed to win every single game. Growing more and more frustrated over not being able to beat an actual eleven year old he excused himself to go for a walk. He found himself heading towards the room of requirement and decided he might as well settle in for an afternoon of reading.

When he arrived to the room and let himself into the secret library he found he was completely alone. Even the portraits were gone, off to try and find any clues to the whereabouts of their missing paintings supposedly.

Draco walked through the stacks of overflowing shelves and quickly found his frustration mounting yet again. He had no idea where to even start; journals, potions, charms, runes, history, ancient magics, rituals, dark magic, it was all too overwhelming. Harry said to just 'do research', was that all he was good for? Everyone else got an actual task except him and he couldn't even do the nothing he was asked to do.

Draco paced as he felt his temper boiling, he found himself right back where he and started and it boiled over. He screamed and punched his fist into the stone wall with an echoing crunch. He looked down to see red blood coating his knuckles. He didn't mind the pain, in fact it felt kind of good so he punched again and again crying at his inability to do anything.

When he started to tire out he stretched his fingers out to look at the damage still feeling only numbness. In his periphery he noticed a figure standing across the hall from him. Looking up finally he recognized Hannah standing there by herself watching him with a frown. He turned away from her not wanting her to see but knowing it was far too late.

"Go away." He said "Just leave me alone."

"Draco" She says with a hard force that made Draco tense his shoulders.

"We both know I shouldn't be here anyways, the magic made a mistake." He said angrily. It wasn't supposed to be him, he couldn't be like them. How could he fix anything? He was useless. He had hurt them all in the past. They would never choose to work with him.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Nothing that isn't my fault."

"Is this about the war?"

Draco punches the wall again.

"Draco!" she admonishes.

"Stop trying to help me" He turns to her shouting, "I'm not worth it" He slumps to his knees pressing his head against the stone wall. "If you knew what I did you wouldn't want me around. No one ever does."

"I don't know everything you went through but I can still offer you forgiveness for it."

"Its not forgivable."

"Did you want to do it?"

"I didn't have a choice."

"Did you want to?" she repeats.

"No" he says through clenched teeth.

"Could you do it again?"

"No."

"Then you're forgiven."

"You don't understand."

"I understand you were forced to do cruel things against your will and the very thought of having to do it all again has you breaking down. If you were truly unforgivable you wouldn't be feeling the guilt and shame you are so clearly struggling with." She pauses and when Draco has nothing to say she continues "You have this opportunity to fix things, whether you think you deserve it or not, you owe it to yourself to try."

"I can't- I don't-" He tries to find the words but nothing is coming, "I'm just so lost." He say finally.

"Draco" Hannah says gently "None of us have this figured out. Its absolutely insane and honestly I'm still not fully convinced its actually real. I mean I'm MARRIED for Merlin's sake yet I haven't even had my first period."

Draco can't help the quiet laugh at that "Shit we're going to have to go through puberty again aren't we?"

"Don't even get me started on that, I am not looking forward to it."

Draco turned and sat with his back facing the wall. He noticed at some point Hannah had also sat down but didn't come any closer to him.

"Look, Draco" She began "No one is expecting you to be perfect. It's advice I've been told to take myself recently actually. Its hard feeling out of control, ungrounded, lost, whatever words there are to describe it. We're not alone though, we have each other right? That has to be enough."

"You really think I can do this?"

"I know you can." She assured and he released the remaining tension in his body. "Now, will you let me look at your hands?"

He looked to the them again as the pain starts to settle in over the vanishing numbness. He stood up slowly and walked over to her sitting next to her against the wall showing her his hands.

Hannah sucks in a breath as she holds his hands gently in hers. "This is probably going to sting" she said and Draco just shrugged. She worked in silence delicately cleaning and closing the open wounds with charms he didn't recognize, finally she wrapped his hands with a conjured bandage.

"They're non magical wounds so will need to heal the rest of the way naturally." She cast one last spell making the bandage blend in with this hand practically invisible "So no one asks any questions."

"Thank you" He says quietly, holding his hands close to his chest without looking at her.

"Hey." She says and he looks towards her but still can't meet her eyes "Like it or not you're my friend now, so you’re going to have to get used to people being nice to you. I hope one day you'll consider me a friend too."

He looked down again at his hands "I'm trying"

"I know" Hannah said and he could practically hear the smile in her voice "You take all the time you need, okay? I'm not going anywhere."

They sat there in silence for moment just in each others company, for the first time in a longtime Draco felt like a part of him was at peace.

"Are you still up to try tackling some research?" Hannah said eventually, "I found some books that are going to take me forever to get to. It would be helpful to me if you want to start there."

Draco nodded slowly standing up and brushing the floor dust off his robes, "Lead the way."

Neville

After Dinner Neville decided it was time to have his talk with McGonagall since she had spent most of the meal staring him down. When he finished eating he turned to her and inclined his head in a subtle nod trying to indicate he'd like to meet with her soon, she returned the gesture and got up from her place at the staff table exiting the hall. Neville waited for a few students to leave before excusing himself and heading to her office.

When he arrived McGonagall was waiting for him at her desk. "Please have a seat. I believe you have some interesting research to share with me?"

Neville first checked the room for wards, they were okay but he wanted some extra security so he put up some additional wards without even reaching for his wand. He'd been practicing wandless magic more since arriving in this time, it was how he was able to make it seem like he was learning their first year spells for the first time. He was in a way, he was just learning them wandless.

McGonagall narrowed her eyes when she felt the magic settle in the room but waited for Neville to start.

"Would you mind if invite someone else to our discussion?"

"Should you not have done that before placing additional wards on my office?"

"The wards are necessary to ensure he arrives safely."

"very well"

Neville closed his eyes and reached out to the castle, requesting the help of the sorting hat. He felt a tug on his core followed by the feeling of a familiar presence on his head. He removed the hat placing it on the seat beside him.

The hat took a moment to take in the room before speaking aloud "Well its about damn time. One more day with that old goat and the school would need a new sorting vessel."

McGonagall stared in shock at the hat appearing.

"I'm sorry I took so long, we've been a bit distracted this week." Neville said. 

"Well I can see the time has not been wasted so I will forgive your transgression for now." The hat replied, "Minerva, it’s a pleasure to see you again."

"Likewise" she said refusing to be impolite even though she was clearly at a loss, "How are you here?" She asked

"My master summoned me." he explained like it should be obvious. McGonagall turned to Neville for answers.

"Turns out I am Lord Gryffindor" he said passing her a copy of his signature results. "I had promised the hat to talk with him after the sorting ceremony, I thought he might be of assistance for our conversation since I know this is all a bit unbelievable." 

"Any later and I would have been scraps" the hat said "That headmaster of yours has been spending every spare minute of his time trying to curse me into resorting Mr. Potter into Gryffindor."

Neville groaned "Shit, he's going to notice you're missing then isn't he?"

"He already knows, I vanished in the middle of a particularly cruel experiment that would have completely replaced the magic within me if it concluded."

As if on cue a phoenix patronus flew into the room with an incensed message for McGonagall. "Minerva. I need you in my office as soon as possible, it is of utmost importance. The very security of the school is under threat."

Neville and McGonagall listened in shock before the patronus vanished and the room plunged into a heavy silence.

"Right" Neville said "So we kind of need your help dealing with that."

McGonagall released a heavy sigh "You better give me the summary of what I ought to know."

"Myself along with three other first years were summoned here from an alternate future to prevent what is to come. We don't know why, but it appears Dumbledore is taking actions against the wishes of the School and her founders. He is insistent that Harry Potter not be in Slytherin, going so far as to attempt to cast an obliviate on him when he disagreed."

"I see" McGonagall said reviewing the results again, "I presume Miss Abott is the Lady Hufflepuff?" Neville nodded "And who else?"

"Draco Malfoy is Lord Slytherin and Harry Potter is Lord Hogwart."

"Hogwart?" McGonagall asked and Neville just nodded. "Interesting, and Ravenclaw?"

"We're not sure yet, we're confident they're not in our year. If they're younger than us they haven't arrived yet."

"Well" McGonagall said passing the parchment back to Neville. "We will have to discuss this in more detail, but for now, I assume you need my help with assuaging suspicion from your fellow students and Headmaster?"

"Yes."

McGonagall nodded "In that case I ought to head over to Dumbledore's office. You have a safe place arranged for our guest?"

"Yes, he will be well cared for. Thank you professor."

"My loyalties are to this school and her students. Many of us are quite disappointed in the choices he's been making lately. Speaking of which, please tell me the prank this morning was not your doing, I have enough headaches to deal with as it is."

Neville laughed "No, that is entirely Snapes department."

"Mr. Potter then I presume?" Neville nodded "I should have known." she sighed. "I expect you'll keep me abreast of anything else I need to be aware of?"

"Of course."

"Very good, I will speak with your professors about the details for now. I imagine you have enough to do at the moment."

Chapter Text

Hannah

Hannah made her way to the greenhouse that her head of house had claimed as her office. Upon entering she was greeted with towering trees and rows of many different plants. She found Sprout by a collection of dittany, talking to the plants the same way Neville did while watering them.

"Professor" she said announcing herself "Do you have a moment?"

Sprout turned to her putting down the watering can and brushing soil from her robes. "Of course dear" She said leading her towards a sitting area "I suppose this has something to do with why Professor Flitwick escorted you home the other night?"

"Yes actually. What did he tell you about that?"

"Just that I needed to hear you out regardless of how it sounds. Quite ominous actually, he said you were looking into some magical research?"

"Well it is a bit unbelievable to be fair. Would you mind if I showed you first then we'll talk?"

"Is it safe?" Hannah nodded and Sprout continued "Go ahead then dear."
Hannah closed her eyes reaching for Hufflepuffs magic using it to cast a complex ward around them. It would protect them from any eavesdropping and had the added benefit that no participants could talk about their conversation with anyone else unless everybody involved agreed. Hannah had read about it in one the journals from the secret library and quickly sought to learn it. She found it much easier to cast when using Hufflepuffs magic, it wasn't as strong as it could be with more practice but it still beat any other wards she knew by miles.

When she opened her eyes Sprout was staring at her in awe. "I've never felt anything like this" she said, "And for you to be able to cast it, wandless no less, this is incredible."

"That’s just the beginning" Hannah said conjuring a copy of her magical signature results and passing it to her professor. "This is what we truly need to discuss."

Sprout read the list, eyes returning to particular lines presumably making sure she was reading things correctly. "This is real?"

"Flitwick preformed the spell for me and some friends, we all had similar results."

"Susan?"

Hannah shakes her head "No she's not like us, she didn't take a test but I'm sure it wouldn't be of much note. She just found me out pretty quick and I can't lie to her."

"So what does this all mean then? I could guess but I think it's better you just tell me what you know so we don't waste our time."

Hannah smiled. "Myself along with Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom, and Draco Malfoy were summoned here from our original timeline through a ritual preformed by the semi sentient magic of the Hogwarts Founders. We are supposed to stop a war that is to come and prevent the extinction of magic."

Sprout sat back in her chair taking everything in, "well, that is quite a lot to process isn't it?"

Hannah laughed "You have no idea."

"So you're not really eleven then are you?"

"No, we've all already graduated. According to the founders we were brought back to the earliest time our magical cores could handle the combination with the founders magic."

"So who is Ravenclaw then? Surely not Harry or Draco."

"Right, no, so, we’re supposed to have a fifth person but we don't know who it is. They might not even be here yet if they're younger than us. Draco is Slytherin and Harry is the representative of the fifth founder; Heather Hogwart."

"Merlin" Sprout said, "Thank you for trusting me with this, what is it you need me to help with?"

"Professors Snape and Flitwick suggested we bring you and Professor McGonagall into our circle so you can help us keep our cover. We believe Dumbledore would intend us harm if he found out anything so we need to keep him off our trail by playing our role as new first year students, but we have a lot to do in the meantime. For now we need to be able to keep any suspicions at bay while also putting as much time as possible into completing the tasks we need to accomplish."

"So, you need to be able to ignore your coursework while still pretending to do it?"

"Yeah that about sums it up."

Sprout nodded "Very well, in class practical work will be unavoidable but assignments and lectures can easily be ignored. Flitwick and Snape are already informed and in agreement?"

"Yes, they both said the same thing."

"I will also keep an eye on Dumbledore, he's been making some unpopular decisions lately. He has many of us providing various traps and puzzles for something, though I'm not sure what."

"Yes, the philosophers stone. Please allow that to play out as he likes, Harry has it covered."

Sprout laughed, "Understood."

"Also," Hannah said smiling, "Neville has collected some very old Herbology books he thinks you would be interested in."

Sprout very nearly jumped out of her seat "Yes! Very much so." She looked mildly embarrassed but the excitement overrode it.

Hannah laughed pulling the shrunken books out of her bag and passing them to her very excited head of house. "He'll be seeking you out as soon as he has the time to discuss them all with you, so just be prepared for a very long conversation."

Sprout smiled looking through the book titles, "Well, you tell your partner that I am very much looking forward to speaking with him, for as long as he wants."

Harry

Harry had slept better than he had in years. He begrudgingly went to Snapes office after dinner as instructed and took the potion he had brewed for him. He took it right before bed like he was told and laid down to try and sleep. The potion was two fold, it would help ease him into sleep so he didn't toss and turn for hours as well as prevent his dreams from becoming nightmares. Snape had explained it worked similar to a ridikulus charm but for dreams rather than boggarts.

It wasn't perfect, Harry still woke up far too early from a memory of his time at the graveyard but before that it seemed to be working well enough. Snape had warned him it would take some adjusting to get perfect since it was still experimental. He promised to return in the morning to tell him how it worked so he could make adjustments during the day. On the way to his office, which really wasn't far, he was stopped by the Bloody Barron.

"Mr. Potter" He said looking him up and down. "Hmmm, yes I see what he means. Professor Binns has requested your presence in his classroom as soon as you are available. Before Harry could ask any questions he turned into a wall and disappeared. Harry just stared at the wall in bafflement, Professor Binns had never made any indication he even knew he was still teaching.

Harry did his best to answer every question Snape had about the potions functionality. Snape took detailed notes while Harry talked, distracting himself with one of Slytherins potion journals. He came across one for lycanthropy that was copied several times onto loose parchment each time filled to the edge with additional notes. Harry skimmed it but potions were never his strong suit.

"Can this work?" He asked.

Snape looked up from his notes to see what Harry was looking at. He sighed "Theoretically I think so. Practically, its going to be hard to find the right alternative ingredients in this century."

Harry nodded, "I suppose they couldn't keep a magical greenhouse hidden for centuries. "

Snape laughed, "Perhaps that will be Neville's legacy."

Harry smiled, "Don't go giving him any ideas."

After Snape had asked what felt like a million more questions about his dreams Harry was finally able to excuse himself and made his way to their History of Magic classroom.

When he entered Professor bins was sitting in one of the student seats. Harry could feel heavy wards were placed on the room to allow them to speak in privacy, he approached and sat in the seat next to him. "You wanted to see me sir?" He asked.

Binns turned to him and stared directly into his eyes. Harry leaned back slightly uncomfortable but didn't look away. Finally after what fell like a very long time, Binns spoke "There is a legend amongst us ghosts, that someone could have an ability to open the veil and allow us passage to the other side."

"You think that's me?"

"You have an aura to you, like you should be a ghost but aren't. Have you died before?"

"Yeah actually I have."

"Yet you live?'

"It's complicated." Harry suddenly remembered his signature test had said he was a Master of Death and conjured his results to show his ghost professor. "It is of utmost importance to me that this conversation remains a secret." he said hesitating to pass the parchment over. 

"Mr. Potter, I did not place wards on this room for no reason."

"right" Harry said nodding a bit embarrassed. "Might my 'Master of Death' be what you're looking for?"

Binns looked back and forth between the list and Harry and sighed in relief "I believe it is" he confirmed "Do you know anything about this title?"

"Not really no, do you?"

"Just stories. It is told that if one gains the allegiance of three ancient artifacts they will cross the veil and face death's trial, If they pass they will return to the living as a master of death."

Harry thought about it, the ancient artifacts had to be the deathly hallows which he did have by the time he went to the forest to die. He wasn't sure he faced a trial of any kind when he was in the afterlife but perhaps his conversation with Dumbledore/Death was that? Binns was watching him intently so he replied "That does sound pretty familiar actually"

Binns smiles wide, "Would you help us?"

"You want to cross over?"

"Yes, myself as well as some others. We have been hoping for a second chance for a very long time."

"I will do what I can." He said then paused, "I'm sorry to ask this of you professor, but would you be willing to stay around just for the year? My friends and I need all the help we can get with our predicament, if Dumbledore has to hire a new teacher it could present a big problem for us."

"Mr. Potter, I have been teaching in this classroom for a very long time and I don't think a single student has needed me for anything in at least a century. If remaining will be of assistance to you I will gladly stay."

"Thank you professor. I promise, if I am indeed able to, I will make sure you get to cross over by the end of the year."

"You have my gratitude. I will see if I can find anything about how you might be able to achieve such a feat, though I believe waiting for Samhain to try will be ideal as the veil is the thinnest of any other time of year." Harry nodded, "In the meantime I will gather the ghosts that would like to move on. Do not fret," He said noting the uncertainty on Harry's face "there is not a single ghost in this castle that would act against your wishes, your aura is quite powerful."

"Huh, now that is interesting." Harry said in thought, "In that case could you ask if anyone is willing to help spy on our Headmaster? We are in need of some information."

Draco

Draco was spending the day reading in secret library since he wasn't up for socializing with his fellow first years today, he'd get enough time with them during class over the week. He had come across a passage in Slytherin's journal about dealing with horcruxes, It seemed one of their adversaries in their time had also dabbled in the dark magic. The passage didn’t say much about how they tackled the problem, he assumed that would come much later but with the portraits right there he may as well ask.

"I have a question" He said out loud to the portraits above him.

"How can we be of assistance?" Slytherin asked.

"Horcruxes" Draco said to a collective gasp "What do you know about them?"

"That it is cursed magic and should never be attempted under any circumstances." Hogwart said.

"I'm not looking to MAKE one" Draco said disgusted, "I need to know how to destroy them."

"Only way we found is to use the venom of a basilisk." Slytherin said,  "Petra would be able to help with that."

"Petra?"

"My basilisk, in the chamber."

"You named your snake that petrifies people, Petra."

The other portraits snickered and Slytherin just folded his arms "I thought it was cute."

"Either way," Draco said not offering his opinion one way or another "we can’t get to her, none of us can speak parseltongue."

Slytherin sat in thought "She shouldn’t attack you but you'd likely have a hard time getting too close to her, if you must you can take the venom by force but I'd really prefer you don’t hurt my girl."

"Basilisk venom isn't the only way." Ravenclaw offered.

"That didn't work." Hufflepuff said.

"It could!"

"Care to enlighten me?"

"We were working on a ritual that would recombine a horcrux to its original soul piece. My hope was that when the soul was reconstructed the affects of the dark magic would be reversed and the person could be saved."

"Well that sounds right up Harry's alley." Draco said "You got it written down somewhere?"

Ravenclaw looks absolutely thrilled. "Yes! It should be in the section with other rituals near the back."

Draco got up to go check, it took him awhile to find it but soon enough he was sitting down reading through the research.

"This is quite remarkable, do you think it can be adapted to combine multiple horcruxes back to the main soul piece?" Draco was met with silence and we he looked up at the portraits expecting an answer he saw they were all staring slack jawed.

"Multiple?" Slytherin finally said scandalized.

"We're dealing with at least five."

"Heavens" Hogwarts said.

"Is it possible," Gryffindor began "That he also had other horcruxes? That could account for why the ritual didn't work."

"It's indeed possible, but Petra was the only basilisk in the country as far as we knew. How could they have been destroyed?"

"I should probably say" Draco began interjecting their contemplation, "since you don't seem to be aware, a fiendfyre spell can also destroy a horcrux."

Ravenclaw turned to Slytherin excited "When that building burnt and we heard that horrid screech, that must have been a horcrux!"

"There's no way to know for sure, but you could be right."

Ravenclaw turned to Draco with a wide smile "You better try out that ritual then. I would absolutely love to have been right after all these years."

Draco laughed, he could only imagine how good it would feel to be vindicated after so long.

Neville

Neville, Hannah, and Susan made their way to the secret library to attend their first occlumency lesson with Snape. They all agreed it would be the best place to meet since they didn't have to add any additional wards to ensure their secrecy. It was possible someone would eventually notice the residual magic of so many strong temporary privacy wards around the school and they wanted to avoid that as long as possible.

When they arrived Draco was lounging on the couch with his head in a book and an array of notes spread all around him. he barely even registered that anyone had entered. Hannah smiled at Draco and approached sitting next to him and startling him. he sat up and showed her what he was working on. Neville stayed back with Susan to wait for Snape, he knew Hannah was working on their friendship and he didn't want to overwhelm him. She had mentioned that she and Draco had a conversation in the library the other day but didn’t give him any details, he got the impression it was pretty personal. He was just happy that Draco was warming up to her and hopefully in turn the rest of them as well. They had too much to do to hold onto any grudges.

Speaking of which, Neville was trying really hard to replace his idea of the cruel and unreasonable Snape from his timeline with this Snape who, while still menacing at times, had offered to help them without even a sneer of disdain. He kept repeating to himself that there was no trick and everything would be fine, but Snape had been his Boggart in their third year, and that level of fear was proving very difficult to overwrite.

Snape arrived shortly after and they all made their way over to the sitting area. Draco collected his notes and books and announced he would go look for Harry to discuss what he had been reading up on.

"I just left him with some other first years, out by the quidditch pitch" Neville mentioned. He didn't mention that Harry was hanging out with Theo and Blaise as well as Ron and Hermione. He'd let Draco come to that realization himself.

"Thanks" Draco said heading for the exit and waving goodbye, "Good luck with your lessons."

The four of them sat down and Snape went right into a lecture just like how he always started his classes.

"When used properly the power of occlumency can help shield your mind form access or influence, you must begin by clearing your mind and controlling your emotions. Miss Bones, for today you are to simply focus on meditation. Clear your mind and imagine a shield around your memories to keep them safe. Miss Abbott and Mr. Longbottom, your minds are both mature and will naturally have a foundation in place, find it and strengthen it. Today I will attempt to penetrate your mind, your job is to stop me. Who would like to go first?"

Neville felt his whole body shiver, he was expecting to get a bit more instruction before jumping right into it. "I'll go first" Hannah said and Neville relaxed only slightly.

He watched as Snape looked into her eyes and muttered the spell, Hannah twitched and they both closed their eyes "I'm just at the border now, can you feel my presence?"

"I think so" Hannah said

"This is where you need to set up your defenses, now try to push me out." Hannah jerked but nothing seemed to happen. "No, you need to build a wall with your magic. Yes like that, very good, now push."

Hannah and Snape both jerked in their seat then gasped.

"What happened?" Hannah asked once she had recovered. "I saw something."

"You were in my mind." Snape said.

"What? How did I even do that?"

"I believe you are a natural legilems." Snape said. "The good news is occlumency should come easily to you, but I'll have to add how to safely use legilimancy to your education. Its very dangerous for both parties when one enters a mind with little care."

"I'm so sorry professor, did I hurt you?"

"No I got you out safely, I was just ill prepared for the possibility. Mr. Longbottom would you like a go?"

"Can I say no?" Hannah elbowed him with a laugh "Sorry" Neville said taking a breath "Yeah I'm ready."

Snape looked into his eyes just like he had for Hannah and muttered the spell, Neville closed his eyes trying to focus. "I am at the border, can you feel my presence?"

Neville tried but couldn't feel anything different. "No"

"How about now?" he asked and Neville could feel a very faint tingle at the base of his neck.

"I think so, only very lightly."

"You have a lot of work to do Mr. Longbottom, I am inside, you should be able to detect my intrusion with ease."

Neville felt himself tense and the realization that Snape was indeed in his mind, he tried to picture a wall of magic like Snape had told Hannah to do and push against him.

"Ah" Snape said "Excellent start, you'll need to work on making the wall more permanent, do not use your emotions to build the shield. Try again."

Neville did as asked, trying to build the wall without focusing on his emotions and pushed again." He felt the tingle disappear and opened his eyes.

"very good" he said "Lets try again."

Hannah and Neville practiced pushing Snape out of their minds for what felt like hours. Intermittently Snape would pause and speak with Susan for a moment before going right back to testing them. They were getting pretty good at consistently identifying Snapes presence and removing it.

"Up to this point I have been remaining just at the edge of your minds, a true attacker would not give you such a luxury. From now on I will be attempting to penetrate your memories, your job is the same, identify the foreign presence and push with your shield." Hannah and Neville both nodded prepping their shields in their minds, "It is important to remember to control your emotions, in an attack fear of revealing information can and will be used against you."

Snape turned to Neville first and cast the spell entering his mind, he could feel the faint indication of an intruder and tried to push but the feeling dodged, moving in deeper.

Despite the warning Neville began to fear what Snape would see in his mind. Maybe this Snape only tolerated him because of his learned competency, if he saw how Neville was throughout school his first go around would he change his opinion? Memories flashed in his head in quick succession, his first ever potions class and subsequent detention, Snape's animosity towards him and Harry especially, and finally, the moment in third year where his boggart took his shape.

Neville tried to build a shield but found the presence fleeing quickly by its own accord. When he opened his eyes he found his professor staring at him in anguish and dismay.

"Those memories, were they all real?"

"Yes." Neville said after taking a deep breath.

Snape stood up and began to pace the room, "That’s how you saw me? How can you even trust me now? I-" He paused and turned to look directly at Neville, "I'm so sorry, I would never- I don't understand why-"

"Professor," Neville started but Snape interrupted him with his racing thoughts.

"I was your boggart?"

"Professor," Neville repeated "Please, there's clearly something bigger going on right now. I'm alright now, it was a long time ago, and you're clearly not the person we knew then. I admit I was worried at first but I was obviously wrong."

Snape stilled and closed his eyes, breathing in and out to control his emotions, "I apologize for my outburst, I just - That was not me, I would never stoop to bullying my students in such a way, especially ones so evidently struggling with things outside their control."

"I suspect a certain headmaster was meddling with your mind." Hannah began "Between him wanting Harry to switch houses, being insistent on not socializing with other houses, and now this. I have a feeling he has a story he's trying to play out, it would surprise me more if he wasn't willing to manipulate people into the roles he required."

"But we've gone off his script, so what now?" Susan asked.

"Harry's working on getting the philosophers stone to play out similarly, its possible Dumbledore is rolling with the changes for the time being because the main goal is still achievable." Neville said.

"While this in an interesting theory," Snape began sitting back down, "I fear I would have been able to prevent such an attack or at least tell one had occurred."

"I don't doubt that if he was using a spell you were familiar with. But you admitted yourself that you have no memory of being Harry's Godfather, something you should reasonably remember." Hannah said.

"Merlin, you're right."

"Still just a theory, we don’t know anything for certain."

"No" Snape said in agreement, "but it is something we ought to look into. In the meantime we really need to get your shields up and functioning. Dumbledore chose to use an obliviate on Harry so he clearly doesn’t suspect anything yet, but we'll need to do some research into what magic he's been using on me and who else he might have affected." 

"So back to practicing then?" Hannah asked.

Snape nodded, "You ready?"

"Yes" Hannah said and Snape cast the spell to enter her mind. As quickly as he had entered he left with his face turning a bright shade of pink.

"Well," he said trying to blink the memories away "Miss Abbott has stumbled upon another strategy, its not as secure but can be useful depending on the situation."

"What did you do?" Neville asked.

Hannah laughed, "It wasn't intentional I promise, it just slipped out" Hannah said laughing holding her stomach with one hand and her smile with the other. "I accidentally showed him some of our date nights." she said to Neville.

Neville's eyes grew wide in understanding and he held his head in his hands to hide the blush he could feel taking over.

"I think I have seen enough for today." Snape said trying to compose himself "I expect you two to put some time into practicing producing and using your shields, eventually it will become intuitive and automatic and we can progress to more aggressive practice. Miss Abbott, we will meet at a later time to discus your legilems ability, I'll gather some books that will offer a good introduction. Also, I would appreciate not being shown those particular memories again."

"I'll do my best Professor" Hannah said through her embarrassed giggles.

Draco

Draco made his way over to the quidditch pitch to find Harry and was shocked to find him with not only Ron and Hermione but with Blaise and Theo as well. He approached them slowly and Harry waved him over excitedly. 

"Hey Draco!" Harry said "We're talking about what roles we'd each play in quidditch."

"Are you going to try out next year?" Blaise asks

"Yeah I've been told I'd make a good Keeper." Draco replies. Harry smiles wide and nods

"You'd be a great keeper." He agrees

"What about you guys?" Draco directs to the others, he knew what the answers would be but he was really trying to work on this whole being friendly thing.

"I'm also going for keeper" Ron said, "Although Fred and George said Oliver is the best keeper the school's seen in a while so I probably wont get to play until he graduates"

"I think I'd be a chaser" Blaise said, "Though I'm pretty open to any position, I just like flying."

The group turned to Hermione who, for the first time he'd seen this year, didn't have a book open in her hands. "I prefer to keep both feet on the ground." She said noticing his look. 

"What she said" Theo agreed.

The rest of the group got to chatting about their classes and professors so Draco leaned into Harry and whispered "I have something to show you."

"How urgent?"

"Not urgent, but I think you'll be quite interested."

Harry nodded and rejoined the main conversation when Ron asked him some question about what the best brooms were.

~

Draco and Harry excused themselves from the conversation about an hour later citing they were going to tidy up for dinner. Harry cast a silencing ward on his bed and sat down, inviting Draco to do the same. Draco reluctantly sat down next to him on the bed, he didn't understand why they couldn't do the same on of the couches, it would be far less intimate. 

Draco pulled out the book he'd been reading and found the page that described the ritual passing it to Harry.

"I was talking to the founders about how to deal with our horcrux problem and found this."

Harry took the book and read it over carefully, "If this works it would make him a whole person again?"

"According to Ravenclaw, yes. They said they tried it and it didn't work, but they think that had something to do with not having all the soul pieces."

"I think its worth a shot." Harry said "I just worry that if it does work and Tom is just as crazy as Voldemort its going to make things so much harder for us."

"What do you know about Tom from before the horcruxes?"

"Not a lot." Harry admitted, "Mostly that he was a bit off putting and had a cult following of Slytherins."

"That's not necessarily evil." Draco countered. 

"No, its not." Harry said in thought, "We should try to find out more about him. Looks like you're already on reworking the ritual for multiple horcruxes, looks great by the way."

"Thanks" Draco smiled, "If it doesn't work or we find it's not worth trying we still always have the option to just destroy the horcruxes."

"The founders didn't know of any other ways did they?"

"No, they didn’t even know about the Fiendfyre."

"So we still need to find a way into the chamber then."

"Actually I was thinking about that, I'm the Lord Slytherin and have his magical core now, so maybe I can open the chamber."

"Its worth a shot," Harry nodded "theres still the trouble with the basilisk though. I don't think any of us should go down without a way to protect ourselves."

"Slytherin implied that the basilisk was their pet and said its quite possible that she would recognize our signature and not attack. Also… her name is apparently Petra. "

Harry snorted. "Petra? Really?"

Draco laughed too "Slytherin was quite proud of the name."

"As he should be." They laughed together.

Chapter Text

Harry

The sleeping potion Snape had made for him was starting to work making his dreams less terrifying, though he still found himself waking up quite early in the morning. It felt like his body was just so used to waking up from the fright that it hadn’t yet adjusted to not needing to do that anymore. Harry didn't mind though, he was getting more sleep than he was used to and still had time to work on his projects in the mornings.

Today's task was to put the finishing touches on a set of rings Harry was working on. They had initially talked about coins, like they had used for DA meetings in fifth year, but Harry wanted something that would be easier to have on them at all times and would serve as more versatile means of communication. What he came up with was a set of rings that were charmed to serve a bit like muggle walkie-talkies, though they were very limited in the messages that could be sent. The rings would connect to the hosts magical core allowing them to simply think what message they wanted to send to who and it would do so in an instant. The messages were only able to contain a time and place at the moment but Harry hoped he could make more complicated messages work with time. 

He was adding an invisibility charm on top of everything else so that no one would question why their eclectic group all had nearly matching rings but he couldn't help putting a little flair into their design. For each of the house heads he made a slim golden ring that had an etching of their house animal set next to a small gem stone of their house colour. For his fellow travelers he wanted to make Lordship rings since according to the portraits that practice had not yet been around in their time. He made silver signet rings inset with their house crest at the center with gemstones embedded on the band. For himself he had found a sketch of Hogwart's animal, a wolf, which he used matching it as best he could to the others and chose purple amethyst for his gems.

Harry had just finished charming the last of the rings when he noticed Draco tossing and turning like he was having one of his nightmares. Soon enough Draco sat up in bed covered in sweat and breathing rapidly. He noticed Harry awake and watching him and dispelled his silencing ward.

"Do you really have to watch every time?" he asked rubbing the sleep from his eyes. 

"Sorry" Harry said looking away embarrassed "I don't mean to. Have you talked to Snape about it?"

Draco looked away "No, It's not important, I'm fine."

"So was I, but now I'm fine with slightly more sleep. "

Draco let out a breathy laugh "I'll think about it. What are you working on?"

"Rings" Harry said but Draco looked lost "Come help me test." Harry said holding out the Slytherin ring for him to see.

Draco got up almost grudgingly and made his way over to Harry's bed. He took the ring admiring it approvingly before he slipped it on jumping slightly at the shock of his magic connecting to it. Harry did the same and felt his core attach to the ring, it was an odd feeling almost like a handshake between the ring and his core.

'Draco Malfoy, Great Hall, Now' Harry thought to his ring and watched as Draco startled and looked to him in shock.

"Great Hall." Draco said to him and Harry smiled.

"Brilliant, everything seems to be in order." He began "All you have to do is think of a person, place, and time and the ring will send the message."

Draco looked to his hand in awe at the invisible ring. Harry felt his magic react and got the image of him meeting with Draco in Snapes office after class.

"Snape's office, after class." He said confirming the vision.

"This is so cool." Draco said quietly like he wasn't quite committed to saying it out loud.

"Thanks," Harry smiled "They can’t handle complicated messages yet but this will help with arranging meetings and such."

"It’s brilliant." Draco said "Is there enough for everyone?"

"Yeah, and I can make more if we end up needing it."

Draco groaned "Hopefully we're done with that for now?" 

Harry laughed "we'll see how things go."

Neville

Harry walked up to Neville and the Gryffindor girls on their way to the great hall for breakfast.

"Hey Neville" he greeted, "Did you finish your herbology homework?"

Neville slowed from the rest of the group and Harry stepped in pace beside him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the Gryffindor ring passing it over.

"It’s the new coin." Harry started "Just think of who, when, and where, and it will send the message."

"Its beautiful." Neville said admiring the design. "This must have taken ages." 

"Not too long, the charms were much more difficult than the design." 

"Whose got it so far?" Neville asked slipping the ring on his finger and shuddering slightly at the feeling of it connecting to his core. 

"Just you and the Slytherins at the moment, I'm working on it."

"Got it, thanks Harry." He said.

"Thanks Neville," Harry said louder pulling away from the group "I completely forgot about mandrakes! See you in class."

Neville waved and joined the Gryffindor group again. Hermione was eyeing him suspiciously.

"Whats wrong Hermione?"

She huffed and turned away "Nothing, I just think you should let people do their own homework."

"So what were you doing with Theo and Blaise yesterday then?" Lavendar asked.

"Slytherins? You must have me confused with someone else."

Lavender and Parvati exchanged glances and just laughed "Sure, whatever you say."

Hermione huffed again and walked on ahead of them. That was weird, but maybe something had happened to upset her after Neville left for his lessons with Snape. He'd try and talk to her after classes today.

By Breakfast the tables had reverted to their original colours much to almost everybody's disappointment. Shortly after Neville sat  Harry walked into the hall with Hannah and Susan, they waved to each other and sat at their respective house tables. Harry practically skipped over there with a wide mischievous smile and started talking animatedly with his fellow first year Slytherins, no doubt planning his next prank. Neville was silently thankful that Harry was able to be more secretive with their actual mission. By now pretty much everyone knew Harry had been the mastermind of the prank and if they somehow didn't they surely would soon enough.

Neville spent most of the meal practicing having his occlumency shields up, occasionally joining in with the conversation between Ron and Seamus about which chess strategy was the best to start a match. Neville didn’t know much about chess so he didn't have much to add but they didn't seem to notice either way.

Neville looked towards the staff table and noticed Dumbledore staring right at him, when their eyes met Neville felt the tingle on his neck of legilimancy. He quickly raised his shields and tried to push. He felt the tingle disappear and scanned his mind for any odd feeling elsewhere but didn't find anything, regardless he concentrated on recalling their first week of classes in as much mundane detail as possible.

After what felt like a long enough time he looked back towards Dumbledore, being extra careful not to catch his eyes, and didn't notice anything off. He hoped that meant he hadn’t seen anything but he would be heading right to Snape after breakfast to get him to check him over just in case.

"Neville?" Seamus said beside him

"Huh? Whats up?"

"Whats with you two? You both just zoned out for no reason."

"What are you talking about? I was just eating." Ron said

"Sure whatever you say. You finished your essay for class today?"

"I have to finish it over lunch" Ron said huffing.

"Wasn't Theo helping you yesterday?"

"Why would I ask a Slytherin for help?" Ron said in disgust.

Neville and Seamus both looked between Ron and each other in confusion but silently agreed not to comment on it. Neville would definitely be seeing Snape as soon as possible, between Hermione and Ron's strange behaviour and Dumbledore clearly trying to cast something on Neville he was sure this was Dumbledore starting to make some moves. He just wished he understood what exactly the goal was.

Neville decided to test out the ring Harry had given him by sending a message to Snape. 'Snape, office, asap' he thought trying to direct his magic into the ring. He saw Snape flinch at the teachers table then scan the room until his eyes met with Neville's. He nodded slightly tapping his finger to indicate he had received the message. Neville made his excuses to his friends and left the hall heading down to Snapes office to meet him.

They arrived at the same time and entered together and sat down, they had already set up some permanent wards on their professors offices to prevent eavesdroppers.

"I think Dumbledore tried to use legilimancy on me in the great hall just now." Neville said.

"Give me all the details. Does he know anything?"

Neville shook his head "I don’t think he suspects anything, it didn't feel like he was searching for anything but you know I'm not great at sensing things yet. I accidentally made eye contact with him and felt that tingling sensation like when you were testing us, I built the walls and pushed but I don't know if it actually worked. I spent at least five minutes thinking about our last history of magic class in as much detail as possible."

Snape snorted a laugh "Excellent thinking. I assume you'd like me to check for any residue?"

"Yes" Neville nodded, "I also think we should check Ron and Hermione as well, they were acting really strange this morning."

"Strange how?"

"They both seem to have a sudden disdain for Slytherins and completely forgot they were hanging out with Theo and Blaise for most of the day yesterday."

Snape sighed "Strange indeed, what do you propose?"

Neville thought on it for a moment before answering "Give us all detention after class, check them there, if we have to bring them in the circle so be it."

"Very well, I assume you will orchestrate a reason for me to hand out such detentions in class today." Neville smiled and nodded "Excellent, in that case, shall we check out that head of yours?"

"Please." Neville said.

Snape entered his head and Neville felt his shields going up automatically to combat the intrusion, Neville relaxed them in order to let Snape look around. 

"Excellent barrier Mr. Longbottom, you are progressing quite nicely.

Neville smiles "Thanks professor."

"I can feel the residue of attempted magic, you’re going to feel me poking around, try to relax and let me."

"Yes sir." Neville said trying to relax his thoughts. Now that he knew how to identify someone in his mind the feeling was awful, it was like someone had dropped a pack of sewing needles in his skull and shook. Thankfully it only took about a minute before Snape was retreating from his mind.

"There are slight traces of an attempted obliviate and compulsion charms." 

Neville sighed "So I wasn't able to protect myself." He tried not to think too badly about himself since it was Dumbledore but that was the whole point of learning occlumency in the first place. 

"I can only theorize but I believe you did extricate him from your mind before the compulsions could stick, otherwise you and I may not be speaking right now."

"I'm guessing the compulsion was supposed to make me hate Slytherins?"

"Indeed that is was it appears to be, in addition to the obliviate that intended to erase your memories of anything Slytherin." 

"Well shit" Neville said "Why didn't the obliviate work then?"

"Dumbledore clearly cast the spell with the expectation you only had a weeks worth of memories to alter, luckily for us he didn't stick around in there to make sure it worked."

Neville sighed, "This is going to become quite a nuisance."

"I suggest you let the others know to be on alert. I will discuss this with the heads so they can be on the lookout for behaviour changes in their students as well." Neville nodded "Now, I believe we best be getting on to class."

Draco

Draco sat with Harry in potions and had planned to completely ignore the class until they had to brew later. He was far too occupied trying to adjust the ritual to work with additional horcruxes, he had come up with a way to make it work but he wasn't completely satisfied with it. In order to combine the soul pieces together again they had to be removed from the object they currently inhabit, unfortunately the only way he found so far would cause the destruction of the object itself. He refused to accept that seeing as Harry had mentioned the horcruxes were in historically significant artifacts. Also, just on the chance Harry was wrong and he still was a horcrux, Draco assumed being destroyed himself during the ritual wouldn't exactly be an option.

However his plans were dashed when Neville passed by their desk and slipped them a note. Draco and Harry waited until Nevile sat back down next to Dean and Seamus before opening the note. Looks like there was a new urgent problem to attend to.

R&H mindjacked, get detention.

Draco sighed "Looks like you'll need to make some extra rings tonight." Draco said stretching and checking what potion they were making today.

Harry leaned back into his seat rubbing his face "I had so many other plans today."

"You and me both, now focus, you're the prankster so how do you want to sabotage their potion?"

Harry laughed.

~

By the end of the class everyone's potion except for Ron and Hermione's had exploded into multi coloured smoke causing all five of them to get lunchtime detention. Ron and Hermione were adamant that they had nothing to do with it but since theirs was the only one untouched Snape obviously had to assume they planned to sabotage the rest of the class. Draco and Harry got their detention for 'laughing too much and distracting the class', which to be fair was a reasonable statement. Neville received his detention for 'planning to stir trouble' since he was asking endless questions about what ingredients could be used to cause the reactions.

The five of them remained in their seats as the rest of the class left for lunch. Draco waited a few moments to make sure any witnesses were far from the room before casting Hannah's ward on the room, that was the cue for Neville and Harry to cast a binding charm on Ron and Hermione. It all happened so quick that even Snape didn’t have enough time to look up from his desk before the first years were immobilized in their seats.

"Well that was a terrifying display" Snape said as he approached the students. "Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger," He said looking to each student in turn "You have been afflicted with a mind altering spell, I am going to remove it. You may feel a strange sensation but I promise I mean you no harm." Both Ron and Hermione just glared angrily unable to do much else.

Obviously not waiting for an answer Snape went right to casting legilimancy on Ron who tensed even through the body bind charm. It took only a minute before he was out and casting on Hermione next, she put up more of a fight. It wouldn't surprise Draco if she had already read a book on occlumency and was trying to protect herself.

Finally Snape returned and conjured a comfortable seat to sit down.

"You alright?" Draco asked?

"I'll be okay, just drained. Focus on them."

Draco looked back at the first years to see the looks of anger replaced with shock and fear.

"I'm going to release your binding in just a moment" Neville said softly to his dormmates, "You were recently placed under a compulsion that made you dislike Slytherins. We believe Dumbledore is behind it but we don't know why. Professor Snape removed the compulsion and did what he could to return any missing memories." Neville then looked to Harry who nodded and they both released their friends from the stun.

"Bloody hell." Ron muttered rubbing his head. 

"What exactly just happened?" Hermione asked. She was obviously shocked and concerned but didn't seem to be scared of them.

"Are you two feeling alright?" Harry asked "I know you have a lot of questions, and we'll answer anything we can, just are you hurt at all?"

Ron shook his head and Hermione spoke "I feel alright, just a little fuzzy."

"You put up an excellent fight Miss Granger." Snape said from his seat "The sensation you're feeling is a side effect of exhausting your mental shields. With more practice you'll be able to protect your mind from just about anything."

Hermione beamed at the praise "Thank you professor" She said and Draco sighed in relief with confirmation that the charms were reversed. "Dumbledore asked me to his office yesterday and cast something on me, he made me forget?" She asked and Neville nodded in confirmation.

"I don't remember seeing Dumbledore" Ron said.

"He charmed you during breakfast." Neville replied "Same as me."

"What does all this have to do with you all then? How did you even know?" Hermine asked the group.

Harry looked to Draco like he was asking for his permission. Draco closed his eyes taking a deep breath, when opened them Harry was still looking at him to make the call. He looked between the first years and Harry and waved his hand for Harry to go ahead. They were clearly targets of Dumbledore if they left them in the dark they could become adversaries later which would be way worse than slight hindrances now.

"We're from the future" Harry said.

"Wicked" Ron exclaimed. 

"What exactly does that mean?" Hermione questioned. 

"Its complicated." Harry replied "We can explain in detail later but you're still vulnerable to attacks right now and its vital that Dumbledore not find out about us."

"Why tell us at all then?" Hermione asked. 

"You're my friends." Harry said " I want to tell you everything."

Ron looked skeptical but Hermione perked up "We were really friends?"

"Best friends," Harry confirmed, "practically family."

Hermione nodded but Ron cut in "We'll need some proof." He said. 

Draco watched as Harry thought about how to reply. "The Gryffindor password is currently 'Caput Draconis'"

"Neville could have told you that." Ron said crossing his arms. 

"Fair enough. Okay, how about this? During the Halloween feast a troll is going to be lose in the school, professor Quirrell will burst into the hall to announce it and promptly pass out."

Snape groaned and held his head in his hands. "Are you serious?"

"Yep." Harry said.

"That’s weeks away." Ron said.

"I know" Harry sighed "But anything else I can think of we've kind of already changed or wouldn't prove anything. Can you trust me, just for now?"

"I trust you." Hermione said "It certainly explains why Neville's always reading the same book with way too much interest. I mean I like reading too but you can't be that invested in a book you've had to have read at least three times over." Draco and Harry turned to Neville who hid his embarrassed blush with his hands.

"Don't worry, I don't think anyone else has noticed. But maybe you should charm it to look like whatever I'm reading, just in case."

"I think I'll do just that."

"So what do we do now then?" Ron asked.

"You actually believe us?" Draco asked.

"Not really" Ron said shrugging, "It would be really cool if you were from the future, but it's just doesn't seem possible. Either way, our headmaster tried to use me like a pawn and you saved me, so I'm inclined to help you."

Harry smiled "I promise we’ll explain things more when you can shield your mind."

"That’s our goal then is it?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, Snape can help teach you occlumency but you'll need to practice constantly. In the meantime I think its best you act like you're still charmed so Dumbledore doesn't suspect anything." Neville said.

"Make sure you never make eye contact with Dumbledore and under no circumstance should you meet with him alone." Harry added. "Bring McGonagall or any of the house heads if he asks to meet with you. They are all informed of the situation and will protect you. I'll get you rings you can use to call for help if you ever need it."

Ron and Hermione both nodded.

"You can count on us" Hermione said.

"I always have" Harry said smiling.

Chapter Text

Hannah

Hannah and Susan received their first meeting summons during their charms class just after lunch. Flitwick stuttered slightly during his lecture on the leviosa charm then cast a quick glance to the girls who both shrugged. Whatever was going on apparently required all of them to meet in the secret library as soon as class was over.

Flitwick asked them both to stay with him after class and when everyone had had enough time to clear out they walked up to the Room of Requirement together. When they arrived there was already someone in the secret library relaxing in the sitting area. Hannah didn't recognize them and immediately pushed Susan behind her casting a protective shield on all three of them taking on her dueling stance. She hadn’t done this in years and it surprised her as much as it unsettled her that her instincts were still so good.

The stranger reacted to the magic in the room and slowly stood up raising his hands in surrender.He looked ancient with long graying hair and a frail figure.

"I mean you no harm." he spoke in a raspy voice. 

Hannah was quickly joined by Neville, Harry, and Draco who took up the space next to her also battle ready.

"This isn't quite the meeting I was imagining all this time." the man spoke again taking them all in. 

"Nicholas Flamell?" Harry said lowering his wand slightly.

"The one and only" he said then promptly fell into a coughing fit sitting back down. The four of them slowly lowered their defenses and relaxed their bodies, Hannah only sort of knew who Flamell was but regardless he seemed harmless. 

"How did you get in here?" Neville asked.

"I have permission, just like your friends behind you there. Please sit, I see you have already learned a lot but I'm sure there's still something useful I can tell you." He waited but still no one seemed to want to be the first to move. "If not just pretend for me okay? I'm too old to tell the difference anyways."

Harry cracked a laugh at that which made Flamell smile wide and they all came to sit down. They had quite a large group now with four travelers, heads of house, and Susan.

"Before we get into all this" Hannah said gesturing to Flamell "Do you want to let us know why we were called to meet here in the first place? By your surprise I got to assume you didn't know about our guest either."

The boys exchanged looks and silently agreed to let Neville take this one "Keeping it brief, Dumbledore tried to manipulate me, Ron, and Hermione charming us to hating Slytherins and erasing any memories we had of them. Snape removed the charms on them and they know we're from the future but not any details, they also know to avoid Dumbledore at all costs." Neville paused then looked over to each head of house in turn, "Professors, we'd like to ask you keep an eye on your students and take note on any odd behavior changes, we don't know who else he'd target to get what he wants. We also don't think any students should be meeting with him alone."

The professors all nodded along. "He should not be having any one on one meetings with the students either way, Hogwarts rules forbids it for the safety of the students." McGonagall said.

"Well you can add that to the list of questionable decisions then because Hermione was in his office by herself when she got attacked." Harry said.

McGonagall sighed "I will remind all my students that they are to ask another teacher to accompany them for any meetings with the headmaster."

"Brilliant" Harry said. "I was going to get into why I think Dumbledore targeted those three specifically but I'm way more interested in what our new friend here has to share with us."

"Agreed." Neville said.

"Where would you like me to start?" Flamell said. 

"Do you have any insight into what it is we're meant to prevent?" Hannah asked.

"You don't know?" Flamell asked shocked "Its my understanding that you are summoned just days before magic would be wiped out entirely."

"Yeah that's what we've been told, but our war was mostly over by then. As far as we knew it was a pretty standard weekday." Draco said.

"That is quite peculiar, something must have been happening in secret then." Flamell said deep in thought. 

"That's what we're worried about," Harry said "Our strategy right now is to prevent the war before it starts and go from there."

"You say that like you expect it to be easy." Flamell said.

Harry shrugged "Nothing about this is easy, but I've already done it once, and this time I can do it before it gets any of my friends killed." with each word he pulled into himself more and more. Neville reached for his hand to ground him and Harry leaned into his friend.

"Of course, I'm sorry."

Harry waved him off and Draco took over. "Our working theory is that Albus Dumbledore has something to do with the reason we were summoned, do you know anything about him?"

"That old bastard? I know he stole my stone and tried to make me forget it but he still doesn't seem to understand that his magic doesn't work on me after all these years."

"Okay, going to need more details on all of that." Susan said.

"Dumbledore has been after my stone for years, he eventually stopped when he realized it wouldn’t work for him, I'm just glad he never figured out what the magic truly was. He had finally given up ages ago but then he came out of nowhere and stole it from right under me. I was too weak from the magic running its course when you four arrived to hide it from him."

"Why did Dumbledore want the stone?"

"Same reason as anyone who knew about it. He and his boyfriend are obsessed with immortality."

"Boyfriend?"

"Oh what was his name… Grindle something or other."

"Grindelwald!?" everyone asked at once.

"Yes that sounds right, they designed that whole fight of theirs to try and unearth some other artifacts they thought could grant them everlasting life."

"Great" Harry said.

"You mentioned his magic doesn't work on you, what do you mean?" Susan asked.

"Dumbledore learned some pretty dark ancient magics that allow him to alter the perception of people around him. He can also do an advanced version of obliviate and imperious charms to further control people's actions and beliefs. I'm not sure why it didn't work, I can only assume it was through the protection of the stone."

"Fucking hell" Sprout said surprising everyone.

"I suppose that explains my lapse in memories" Snape said.

"How does it work?" Flitwick asked

"I'm afraid I don't know. Whenever he's tried to use the magic on me he does a whole speech about what his motives are, I don’t know if that’s a necessary step for the spell or just him being an arsehole." Harry and Draco snorted as Flamell continued "I always just pretended to forget whatever he told me to forget so he'd leave me alone."

Everyone turned to look at Harry who rolled his eyes "Yes I'll add it to my list" he shook his head "I really ought to write it all down."

"Okay so Dumbledore and Grindelwald were working together the whole time and are obsessed with immortality. They've got to be your true adversaries." Susan said.

"But they were both dead by the time we were summoned." Neville explained.

"Do we know that for sure?" Draco said.

"Only Voldemort claimed to have seen Grindelwald die," Harry started, "As for Dumbledore, if he can control people in such a way whose to say he didn’t just make us think we saw him die."

"Professors" Hannah asked "When Dumbledore was watching us eat at the different tables and such did you notice anything off about him?"

"Not particularly" McGonagall said.

"He's always overly happy looking if that’s what you mean?" Sprout said.

Hannah turned to her fellow travelers, "You guys see it too right?"

"His barely restrained hatred, yeah hard to miss." Harry said and Draco and Neville nodded.

"I think our new magic might be protecting us from the charms influence. It would explain why Flamell was immune too, with the stone holding the power of all five magics he was protected as well."

"That is a very plausible theory." Flamell said. "Unfortunately for me that protection will have vanished along with everything else." Hannah looked at him in sympathy and he continued "Oh don’t you worry for a second over me, it is long past my time to cross over the veil. I am very much looking forward to seeing my family again." he said smiling.

"How long do you have?" Harry asked.

"Not long" Flamell said shaking his head "I can already feel myself going."

"Sorry to say, but how were you supposed to help us if you're going so soon?" Draco asked and Hannah elbowed him.

"It’s a valid question" Flamell started, "It was an experimental magic that clearly wasn't perfect. The stone was meant to keep me alive and then lead me to the individuals who inherited the magic so I could bring them here and help them get oriented in the new timeline. I had honestly been hoping I might get to do more but alas it is not in my cards. I will be happy to report that you all found each other so quickly, well almost, but you’ll have to wait for your Ravenclaw companion since they have not yet arrived."

"How do you know?"

"Her magic was still with me when Dumbledore stole the stone.

"So now what?" Neville asked.

"Well if you have any questions I will do my best to answer."

Harry

After what felt like hours of discussion they called it a night when Susan fell asleep against Professor Sprout.

They all got up to leave but Flamell spoke "Harry dear, would you mind aiding me with something else tonight?"

"Of course, what can I do for you?"

"Theres a place I used to visit often my brother, I think it's where I'd like to go."

"This is goodbye then isn't is?" Hannah asked.

Flamell smiled "You have an excellent circle of support, you don't need me any longer, it's time I go home."

"We can all come if you’d like." Neville said.

Flamell shook his head "I thank you but it is not necessary, you all ought to get some sleep."

Hannah walked over to gently hug Flamell and kiss his cheek. "I'm glad to have met you" She said.

"Likewise" Flamell said smiling.

Neville went in for a hug as well while everyone else opted for a handshake and a bow of respect. Once everyone had said their goodbyes Flamell began to explain to Harry the location he wished to apparate to.

"Don't we need to walk past the castle wards to be able to apparate?" Harry asked.

"Not you," Harry just looked on in confusion so Flamell explained further "The wards were created with the magic of the founders, a magic that you hold within your core. They will allow you to come and go as you please."

"Huh, well that’s quite convenient."

Harry took Flamell's hand in his and apparated them to the location he had described, it was a beautiful mountain range where the sun was just barely above the horizon. They walked to the cliffs edge with a lookout to the valley below, a  meandering river flowed at the base and the field was speckled with the many colours of blooming fall flowers.

"Its beautiful here" Harry said.

"Its where my brother and I used to come to talk, looks a bit different now than it did back then." Flamell said watching the view, he pointed out an area at the base of the valley that appeared to have some stone ruins and continued. "There used to be a castle at the base of the hill where we would stay during the summer sometimes. Ed told me that in the other timeline our uncle used the castle to appease some of his more cruel supporters, he could never tell me what he meant by that but I've seen enough in my time to take an educated guess, I believe you have as well." Harry nodded, "Apparently our uncle was unhappy with Ed and brought us to the castle to teach him a lesson. It was the moment he realized that our uncle was not who he thought he was."

"What happened?"

"I don't know the details, but I do know that I never left that castle again."

"I'm so sorry."

Flamell ignored the sentiment, "Ed said he liked to come here to remind himself what he was fighting for. It held the memories of what we were up against, but also the innocence of our childhood. I think a part of it was also wanting to punish himself for his mistakes, he didn't think he deserved the chance to heal after everything he did. Sound familiar?" Harry looked away. "Fate has a strong grip on the five of you from the moment you wake up back in time, I must caution you to do whatever you can to avoid the tragedies of your predecessors." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Draco is so much like my brother, just from our short chat I can see how he struggles with the desire to make up for his actions while also feeling undeserving of the opportunity to do so. You Harry are a lot like Peter, just as you both are like Heather, great leaders who always look out for others and fight for what is right. You care so deeply for your friends and would protect them to your last breath." He paused to look directly at Harry, "You need to learn how to lead and not take on everything as yours alone to bear, there were five of you brought back for a reason. Learn their talents and abilities and use them when the situation calls for it. You need to trust them just as much as you want to protect them."

Harry listened carefully trying to embed each word in his memory. "What really happened at the end?" He asked. 

Flamell took a deep breath, "Peter was dying," He began, "he had overworked his core in a battle because he didn’t trust Ed to protect them. Daisy had been working on the ritual to create the stone but it was all theoretical and extremely dangerous. Even so, they all agreed to try it in the hopes it could save him. It stripped them all of their magic and attached itself to the closest magical being. That just so happened to be me, It wasn't what they had planned at all, and it didn't even save Peter in the end."

"So you were never meant to be around this long?"

"No"

"I'm so sorry."

"Whats done is done," he sighed "I've had many years to come to terms with my fate but I must urge you to learn from the past. Everyone who has traveled with you is just as dedicated and capable as you are, do not lose sight of that."

"I understand, but why tell just me?"

"You’re the one that needs to hear it. Can you tell me honestly, if I said this in front of your friends, you wouldn't first go to comfort them?"

Harry laughs "No"

"Exactly" Flamell laughs too.

"So, I need to be less self sacrificing and Draco needs to forgive himself. What about the others?"

"Daisy, our Hufflepuff, was a very kind witch, she didn't hesitate to offer help to anyone who needed it. She hated to see suffering but she couldn't tell when she herself was struggling and often got magically and mentally exhausted. Our Gryffindor, Madison, was incredibly talented with magic but didn't have the confidence to not second guess herself when taking action."

Harry listened intently, "That sounds about right, and our Ravenclaw, what should we expect from them?"

"Nell was quite an outcast and struggled to be taken seriously, they were quite odd and had a way of seeing things differently. They were often written off as a bit delusional but frequently predicted things exceptionally accurately, I believe that had we trusted them more we would have had more success in our missions."

Harry laughed "In that case I think I know exactly who we're waiting for, we'll be in good hands with her."

Flamell smiled "I'm glad, you are already in a much better place than we were, you will do well."

"Thank you" Harry said.

They sat in silence for while, Harry though over everything they had talked about. He supposed if Flamell went through all this trouble, and all those years, to pass on his message Harry would do his best to honour his requests. 

"I must admit" Flamell said disrupting the silence, "I did have an ulterior motive in asking you in particular to come."

"Oh?"

"You have the aura of death, I'd like for you to call to my family across the veil."

"I can do that?"

Flamell nodded, "I believe so, just think about them and offer a door."

Harry closed his eyes and tried to think about their five predecessors while picturing a door. He wasn't sure if what he was doing was even working when he heard a shout of excitement.

"Richard!" a voice called and the shimmering form of an old man flew straight to Flamell circling him excitedly. Harry turned to see four additional ghostly figures coming over with wide smiles.

"Is it finally your time Nicky?" a middle aged woman asked.

"I was so scared," Flamell started, sounding more like the young kid they all must have known, "After all this time I thought I wouldn't be able to find my way."

"We would never allow such a thing" a young man said to Flamell then turned to Harry as the rest of the ghosts gathered around Flamell. "You are like me aren't you?"

"I believe I am" Harry said. The man didn't look any older than 20 and had a strong resemblance to Sirius that made Harry pause. "You’re Peter?" He asked.

The ghost bowed slightly "Peter Black"

"Oh" Harry said breath catching in his throat.

Peter smiled "You are familiar with my family?"

"My godfather is a Black" Harry said "As is our Slytherin actually." Harry added reminded that Narcissus is Sirius' cousin.

"I would love to meet them some day, however, I believe it is finally time our Richard joins us on the other side."

Harry smiled and nodded turning back to Flamell and the other ghosts.

"Are you ready Richard?" Edward asked holding out both his hands for his brother.

"Yes" Flamell said reaching to grab them. To Harry's surprise they made contact and Flamell was engulfed in a bright blinding light, when it faded he looked just like the other ghosts. The two brothers hugged each other tightly quickly joined by the others who smothered them with kisses.

Harry felt a shift in his core and the ghosts began to fade. "That’s our Queue." Peter said taking Flamell's hand. 

"Thank you for helping me Harry" Flamell said, "I hope I was able to help you."

"More than you could know." Harry said smiling as they vanished.

Harry remained on the mountain for a while after the ghosts had left just taking in the stars and the peace of solitude. He hadn't been truly alone since arriving at Hogwarts and while the anxiety of being there was beginning to settle now that he was away he felt a calmness he hadn't in a while. He thought about Edward and how he would come to this place to bear the pain of his loss and mistakes but also, importantly, to feel the joy and innocence of his childhood memories. Harry wondered when it was he stopped seeing Hogwarts as his home, when the bad memories took over completely and overwrote all his good ones.

He closed his eyes and searched his memories for his time at Hogwarts, something he hadn't done on purpose in years, and found a memory he had nearly forgotten. It was simple, just him and his friends sitting on the lawn playing a game of exploding snap lost in laughter. He felt his heart squeeze in an odd mixture of joy and sadness.

He wasn't granted much peace in his life, between growing up with the Dursleys and being thrust headfirst into a world at war. But there were still moments that could remind him that, despite everything, he was more than just his suffering.

Chapter Text

Harry

When Harry finally arrived back to his dorm room it was late into the morning and seemed like everyone in the castle was asleep. He did have to sneak past Filch heading into the dungeons but the stairs moved to help him get away quicker, probably another perk of having the founders magic he thought to himself.

Sneaking into the room he found Draco sitting up in the bed with his head tilted back resting against the headboard fast asleep, Draco must have been trying to stay awake to wait for him. Harry approached and nudged his shoulder gently, Draco sat up quickly reaching for his wand but just as quickly relaxed when he noticed it was Harry.

"Long chat?" Draco asked through a yawn.

"Partially, I decided to stay late for the view."

"Could have let me know?" Draco pouted.

"Didn't think you'd be waiting for me." Draco looked away as his cheeks turned pink, Harry smiled, "Thanks though."

Draco gave a small smile then winced as he tried to crack his neck. "Whatever." He said but Harry could tell he was happy that his effort was recognized. He stretched his arms shuffling under his comforter and hugging his pillow. "I'm going to sleep in a position that won't destroy my spine."

"I'm not sure that particular position is any better actually."

"Shut up Potter." He groaned into his pillow.

Harry laughed quietly. "Goodnight Draco."

Draco lifted his head off the pillow looking at Harry examining him, "Goodnight." He finally said then rested his head back against the pillow and closed his eyes.

Harry approached his own bed to find a letter waiting for him, he did a quick inspection for any charms or curses but it looked just like every other letter he had received from Argos so he wasn't too concerned.  Inside he found two pieces of parchment containing correspondence from both Argos and Amelia Bones.

Lord Potter,

We have received a response from a Miss Amelia Bones for you, I have included her letter within this envelope. I recommend you meet with her before the week is up to discuss what you know, she will likely not give you more time than that before taking her investigation of both you and Mr. Black to the Ministry.

I also request your presence in my office as soon as you are able for a matter of vault security. A certain individual has attempted to access your family vaults. We have locked them for the time being and will need you to come reset your sectary allowance to limit access.

I will be available to you whenever you are able to make it in.

Peace to you,

Argos

Stranger,

It is quite rude to request a reply without any indication of who to address said reply too. While you did an outstanding job charming the letter, I'm afraid you may have forgot that Hogwarts owls are traceable to the school. So, I must ask of you; what business does a resident of Hogwarts have with my investigation of Sirius Black, and why does it warrant such bribery and secrecy?

If you do indeed have the true criminal as you say I am willing to discuss further but you must be aware that I have no intention of acting outside the law, and, if I suspect you do, I will have no reservations in arresting you on the spot.

I would like to meet with you as soon as you are able to discuss this arrangement and review the evidence of corruption you claim to have. I have paused my report to the minister for the time being.

Amelia Bones

Harry sighed, looks like he'd be heading to the bank sooner than he anticipated as both issues warranted addressing as soon as possible. Argos would be able to keep unwanted visitors out of his vault for a while but Harry would have to review who has access to the vaults soon to ensure anyone he didn't approve of was removed from access. On the other hand Harry trusted that Amelia would hold off on her investigation for a time but he wasn't sure how long of a time that was, the sooner he was able to meet up with her the better.

Harry laid down in his bed staring at the ceiling, he tried closing his eyes but each time he did his brain felt like it was running a million miles per hour thinking about everything they still had to do. He sighed sitting up in the bed and summoning a quill and parchment to try and get the swimming thoughts out of his head. Now was a good a time as any to get a physical list written. 

Some of the initial items had already been taken care of so he didn't include them in writing. Find out how and why they're here? Check. Make friends with Ron and Hermione? Check. Connect to the strange magic? Check. Though for every goal he had already checked off he was writing at least two new ones. 

He decided to separate the list into several categories to help organize their plans:

One; prevent catastrophe. Now they knew how they arrived and why, they needed to figure out what exactly they needed to prevent. Harry was pretty sure that had to do with Dumbledore so most of this list revolved around that.

~ Find out Dumbledore's goal.

~ Find out what special magic he's using to manipulate people..

~ Keep an eye on students/staff for signs of manipulation.

~ Have all allies learn occlumency.

~ Break down the house divides.

Two; prevent Voldemort's war. While Dumbledore was now their main goal they still had the problem of dealing with the war.

~ Capture Quirelmort at the end of the year.

~ Collect the horcruxes.

~ Decide how to deal with Horcruxes; save Tom or destroy him.

Three General. This was for everything that didn't fit into any larger category.

~ Research. They had piles and piles of books and journals to wade through for ancient magics and rituals. The more they knew they better.

~ Locate missing founder portraits. Not urgent but still something they'd like to do if possible. 

~ Get Sirius out of Azkaban. He also needed to meet with Remus to arrange support for Sirius when he gets released.

~ Property hunt. Harry wanted to have a home base outside of Hogwarts for meetings over the summer. Initially he planned to simply look into the Potter properties but now wanted to also look into any property titles the founders may have still held. Visiting those would likely be more secure and they could have additional information in their libraries.

Four; side quests. These were tasks specific to individual people, so far he only had two.

~ Harry: Help ghosts move on.

~ Hannah: Work on learning legilimancy.

By the time Harry was finished writing out his list another hour had past and his thoughts had finally calmed down, he decided he would try to get some sleep in before their morning classes. 

Hannah

Hannah and Susan were chatting with the other Hufflepuff first years when the mail arrived. Hannah got a pretty standard letter from her mom asking how she was doing and sending her love, Hannah smiled as she read it over and made plans to pen a reply after breakfast. If everything else they did failed she was happy to get at least these extra moments with her mum.

Susan read over her own letter then nudged Hannah to read it as well. Hannah braced herself when she noticed it was from Amelia, things just kept getting more complicated.

Susan,

In reviewing your previous letters it has become clear that you may have been getting information from someone about a case that I recently took up. I have received an alarming correspondence from an unknown individual who appears to be a resident of Hogwarts School. I must insist you be very cautious if that is familiar to you as I do not yet know the motivations of such a person. If you know anything please inform me.

In a less serious manner please know that I miss you to pieces and think of you everyday. I hope you are enjoying your time at school so far and are keeping up with your homework! Stay safe.

Love you my Sunny Girl, 

Aunty

She read the letter over again then signaled Harry through her ring to meet with them before their morning Herbology class. To her surprise when Harry met with them he had a letter of his own to show them.

"So what do we do?" Hannah asked after reading over the letter Harry had received.

"We have two obvious options" Harry started, counting on his fingers, "One is to tell her the truth and the other is continue with our original plan knowing it will probably only take a week before she puts the pieces together and starts questioning us again."

Hannah sighed rubbing her forehead with her fingers, "Can we trust her?"

"Don't have much choice in the matter do we?" Harry asks.

"She likes facts." Susan said "You tell her the truth with evidence to back it up and you'll have her trust."

"So tell her everything then?" Hannah asked.

Susan nodded "I think it's the best option, like you said she's probably going to find out herself sooner or later anyways. Much better to control the circumstance."

"I'm getting really tired of having the same conversations over and over." Harry said groaning. "We need to at least let Draco and Neville know first."

"Agreed." Both girls said.

"Meeting after dinner? I wrote out my list of goals we should go over anyways."

"Sounds good" Hannah said as they headed off to class.

Draco

"You know," Draco started when everyone had arrived and settled in the secret library, "Usually when we have these meetings we leave with more problems than we solve."

Hannah laughed "I said the same thing to Suz this morning."

"Whats on the table this evening?" Snape asked getting them on track. 

"Couple things" Harry began, "Main thing we need to discuss is what to do about Amelia Bones. I also wrote down the list to review after." He passed copies of the letters they had received that morning to everyone to read.

"I'm guessing the letter you sent didn't work then?" Neville asked as he began to read through the letters.

"Only partially." Hannah started "She's not going to the ministry yet but she's very suspicious of the sender."

Draco looked back and forth between Hannah and Harry "Do not tell me your plan is what I think it is." Draco said.

"You got a better idea?" Harry asked.

Draco groaned "We might as well just tell everyone at this point."

"I don't want to either" Harry said "but she's going to find out eventually and as Susan said this morning it'll be much better if we have control over how and what she gets told."

"You're confident she'll figure it out? You do know this isn't what anyone would be expecting to find." McGonagall said.

"I doubt she'd get all the details, but if she knows the letter came from Hogwarts who do you think she'd go to first for more information?" Flitwick said.

"Dumbledore" Sprout said sighing.

Harry snapped his fingers and pointing at Flitwick, "Exactly. Initially we had planned to meet her in a disguise but since she knows the letter came from Hogwarts that cover wont work anymore."

"So what exactly is your plan?" Draco asked.

"Hannah and I will meet with her at the bank." Harry began, "She'll be more likely to trust Hannah and I can show her the evidence without her further questioning why I have it."

"What do you plan to tell her?" Sprout asked.

"Same thing we told you guys." Harry said shrugging, "Show her the tests and go from there, we'll have Argos to back us up as well."

"And if it goes wrong?" Snape asked.

Harry turned to Hannah who took a deep breath "I obliviate her." Hannah said.

"Sirius can wait" Harry said sadly. "I want him out as soon as possible, but, if it's going to jeopardize everything else... then it can wait."

"And if does work?" Sprout asked gently "He will need constant support, do you have a plan for that?"

Harry took a deep breath and nodded. "I have a working plan, yes. Snape? When do you meet with Remus next?"

"Couple of days from now, we haven't set the time yet."

"Okay, would you pass on that a Lord Peverell would like to meet him? Also how goes that potion you've been working on?"

Snape thought for a moment, "I need more time to find an appropriate ingredient replacement but the brew itself should take no longer than a night."

Harry nodded "If we can have that for him in time it would be ideal."

"I'll see what I can do, Mr. Malfoy , Mr. Longbottom," He said to both boys in turn "I believe you could be of assistance if you have time to spare tomorrow."

"You sure you want my help with a potion?" Neville asked.

"Did you not say you were well versed with various ingredients?" Snape asked, "The replacement I need is for an extinct species of aconitum."

"Oh" Neville's face reddened in embarrassment "Yeah I can make time tomorrow."

Snape nodded then turned to Draco, "And you?"

Draco nodded "Can I look at your notes tonight?"

"I'll make you a copy."

~

"So" Neville said "How long is this list of yours?"

"Not too bad actually" Harry said as he passed copies to the crew.

"I don't think I want to know what 'bad' is to you" Susan said as she read over the list.

"No, I don't think you do." Neville said shaking his head.

"One; Prevent catastrophe" McGonagall read aloud, "You have quite a way with words."

Sprout and Flitwick both chuckled "I almost regret giving you exemptions on your essays" Sprout said "I'm sure they would be entertaining."

"It's not THAT bad." Harry said defensively. 

"Okay, question." Draco said. "Whats this about 'helping ghosts move on'?"

"Oh right, I talked to professor Binns the other day-"

"You talked to professor Binns?" Flitwick asked in shock.

"He asked to speak with me," Harry continued nodding. "Apparently he could sense the death on me." he explained.

"I don't think I like the sound of that." Susan said.

"Yeah not a big fan myself honestly." Harry said shivering slightly "But turns out I can thin the veil to the afterlife to allow spirits in or out."

"Would that happen to have something to do with why Mr. Flamell wanted only you to join him last night?" McGonagall asked.

Harry nodded "He also wanted to give me some advice, but yeah, he wanted his family to help him cross over."

"So you met the others?" Draco asked.

"Only sort of. Peter spoke to me briefly but they didn't have long before they got pulled back."

"What was his advice?" Sprout asked.

"Mostly warnings, to not repeat past mistakes, things we all have to work on" Harry said looking at Neville, Hannah, and Draco in turn. "Also, from what he told me about their Ravenclaw I'm pretty sure I know who we're waiting for."

"Who?" Neville asked.

"Well he described their Ravenclaw as 'an odd outcast with a strange outlook and uncanny ability to make accurate predictions.'"

"Luna" all three of them said at once.

"Yep, and knowing her, she'll already know way more than any of us did."

"Do you think this Luna knows?" Draco asked. Everyone was speechless not wanting to dwell on the implications of knowing you're body and mind was going to get overwritten by a future version of yourself. "I see her every year at Yule when her and her father come to visit, I can try to talk to her."

"How would that conversation even go?" Hannah asked.

"I'm not sure." Draco said honestly .

"Did we technically kill our younger selves?" Neville asked.

"I don’t think so," Harry began, "I remember from one of the journals, I think Hufflepuff maybe, said when they returned they had additional memories of a year they hadn't lived. That implies a combination not erasure."

"Still probably not a great thing to experience." Hannah said.

"No." Harry agreed. "But if anyone would be unphased by it, it would be Luna."

Neville chuckled "Can't argue with you there."

"So, should I try talking to her?"

"No harm in it I think." Harry said.

Draco nodded, "Side quest?"

Harry laughed, "Yeah, side quest." as soon as Harry said it out loud it appeared on the list next to Draco's name.

~

"Can I suggest something we should add?" Susan asked.

"Of course." Harry said encouraging her.

"More like an edit really, I think we should try to teach more students occlumency, not just our active allies."

Harry smiled, "I was going to bring that up, thanks Suz." She smiled back, "I don't know how best to go about it but I think we need to give our classmates some protection, otherwise we might end up having to work against them if Dumbledore gets to them. We don't have to ever tell them why." Harry assured to everyone but particularly Draco.

"How do we do it without Dumbledore knowing?" Hannah asked, "I'm assuming we don't want him knowing since he can just use his other magic."

"It's supposed to be taught in defense though the curriculum has been lacking lately with the turnover." Snape said.

"Do you think we could get Quirrell to add it to his lessons?" Hannah asked.

"If he was just Quirrell it would be easy to manipulate him but with Voldemort attached to him I don't think we can risk it."

"Dear me, is that what you meant by 'Quirelmort'?" Sprout asked.

"Under the turban" Harry confirmed, "Don't worry he's harmless right now, I got that covered."

"What if we start a club?" Neville suggested, "Like the DA but public, a way to learn and practice magic that’s not in the curriculum."

"Would anyone other than Ravenclaws join?" Draco asked, Flitwick looked slightly offended. "I'm serious," Draco said in defense, "Look it’s a good idea but its basically an extra class, why would anyone want to go?"

"It’s a fair point," Harry agreed, "we'd all have to go and bring our dormmates, hopefully word would spread from there."

"Who would organize it?" McGonagall asked, "Clubs are all student run and first years can't petition new ones."

"Think the twins would do it?" Harry asked Neville.

"If I tell them it’s what the Marauders want? Absolutely." Neville smiled.

"Brilliant. That will be your side quest then." Harry said as the addition appeared on each parchment.

"Anything else for tonight?" Flitwick asked. Nobody spoke up and they all sighed in relief. "Good, I think we've added enough to our list tonight." He said.

Neville

The Hufflepuffs and Neville left the room first to find two figures sitting in the room of requirement. Without even thinking about it Hannah cast a body bind on the strangers then pulled her wand and adopted her dueling stance as she circled the couch to get a look at who their guests were. Neville followed suit sending a ring message to the others still in the library to come out here asap.

Neville felt a powerful protection charm envelop him and the others as Harry and Draco came out from the wall, wand in hand and battle ready. They were soon followed by the remaining professors who looked conflicted between wanting to protect their students and letting them handle it.

Hannah relaxed slightly when she saw who their intruders were. "This ones your call Draco" she said tucking her wand away signalling to the others that there was no danger. Draco tensed and approached tentatively, when he saw who was there he sighed deeply head tilting back to look at the ceiling. "Merlin," He said quietly himself, "I was KIDDING" He thrust his arms down in frustration then held his forehead as he turned around and tried to collect himself.

Neville made his way over to see Theo and Blaise sitting on the couch, eyes darting around the room in evident confusion. Harry approached Draco, reaching for the others wrist to keep him from pulling out a chunk of hair in frustration. Neville heard them whispering something but couldn't make it out.

"Are you alright?" Sprout asked coming up beside him.

"Yeah" He said finally looking away from the two boys hushed conversation. Hannah had watched for a moment as well but she seemed content with Harry dealing with it and went to comfort Susan who was a little shocked. "Not exactly an ideal situation though."

Sprout gave a tense smile and nodded. "I know there are… other circumstances" She said with a pause and glance to their unexpected Slytherin guests. "But it's really disheartening to see children in battle positions."

Neville returned a sad smile, "We were only fifteen when we had to learn, Harry was even younger."

Sprout shook her head, "I'm so sorry that that was expected of you, and of him. We must have really failed you."

"Honestly, yeah, most adults did." Neville said and Sprout patted his shoulder. "Just for the record," He continued placing his hand over top of hers, "You were always my favourite professor."

Sprout smiled as a tear fell from her eye. "Thank you" She whispered.

Harry

As soon as Harry felt the message from Neville he waved his hand casting a powerful protection charm on all his friends and professors. He and Draco rushed out together quickly analyzing the room, Harry saw Hannah had handled the intruders and lowered her wand to indicate they were okay, he looked around to see everyone well and accounted for so he lowered his wand as well but left the extra protections up.

Harry came around to see what Draco's reaction was for. "Ah" he said getting his first look at their Slytherin guests, "That’s unexpected."

Draco stood rigid with his back to his dormmates, he slid his hands into his hair and began to pull in frustration. Harry approached him and gently held his wrists preventing him from hurting himself.

"Draco" He said quietly so only the other boy could hear him, "It's going to be fine."

"I can't keep doing this" Draco whispered. "I don't-" Harry squeezed his fists tightening his grip on Draco's wrist making the other boy hitch his breath slightly from the pain. He looked into Harry's eyes and said again, "I can't do this."

"It's not the end of the world." Harry said, "In fact we actually still need you around for that."

Despite himself Draco laughed. He took a deep breath and slowly let go of his hair lowering his hands, Harry let go of his wrists as well.

"I can deal with this if you need." Harry said.

Draco shook his head "Hannah's right, it should be my call."

Harry nodded "I'll follow your lead." And he would, no matter what decision Draco made Harry would help.

Draco composed himself hiding his distress with a mask of calm, he looked around the room catching eyes with Snape. "Can you check if they were influenced?" He asked.

Snape nodded curtly and walked around the couch to stand in front of the two boys. They looked utterly confused and a little fearful. Relief showed in their eyes when Snape stood in front of them but quickly vanished when he explained what he'd be doing.

"I'm going to cast an analysis on your mind,  you will feel a tickling sensation but I will not harm you." He looked to each boy in turn quickly checking for manipulation. "Nothing" he confirmed after only about a minute.

Draco cast a silencing ward around the room and looked to Hannah, she understood and immediately released the charm from their face allowing them to speak.

"What the hell is going on." Blaise said looking around the room frantically taking in everyone present.

Theo remained silent carefully taking in the room, staring for a while at the wall where the hidden door to the secret library was.

"What are you two doing here?" Draco asked them.

"What are YOU doing here?" Blaise countered.

Draco ignored the question and turned his gaze on Theo.

"We followed you." Theo said evenly. "You've been acting super weird and we wanted to know why."

Draco sighed, "Just you two?"

Theo paused, clearly calculating how much he should share, "Greg and Vince don't care, but the girls are all suspicious as well."

Draco crossed his arms, "What exactly was suspicious?"

"Pretty much everything about you." Theo said, "I know for a fact that you two met for the first time over the summer at best and yet you're practically inseparable despite the fact Draco seems to only tolerate you." He said to Harry who laughed.

"Not to mention your sleeping habits" Blaise added, "I obviously noticed you warding your beds and taking secret potions every night."

"Great" Draco said sitting down on the couch. "So we just suck at this."

"Would anyone like to enlighten us about what 'this' is exactly?"

"I have a question first if you don't mind." Susan said from where she now stood next to Harry.

"Can't exactly say no" Blaise said glaring at her.

Susan ignored the comment and looked at Theo, "Were you only following Draco?"

"Draco and Harry." Theo confirmed.

"Was anyone else in this room suspicious to you before coming here?"

Theo looked around the room again pausing on each of the other first years, "No" he said after considerable thought.

"Besides the other first year Slytherins you mentioned, have you noticed anyone else taking notice of your suspicions?"

"This is a lot more than one question." Blaise said.

Theo did not take his eyes off Susan. "I haven't noticed anything." Theo said finally.

"Thank you" Susan smiles then turned to face Draco "I don't think you could have hid from them anymore than you could from Snape." She said. Draco seemed to relax and gave her a small smile in thanks.

"Still waiting for an explanation." Blaise said.

"Still your call Draco." Hannah said.

"How's your occlumency?" Draco asked them.

"Not good enough for him" Theo said gesturing his head in Snapes direction, "But its passable."

"Blaise" Draco pressed.

"I'm not answering any questions until you answer mine." Harry was sure if the boy could cross his arms he would.

Draco looked to Snape who immediately answered "They're not bad, about the same level as Hannah."

Draco nodded and waved his hand signalling for Hannah to release them and she did. Both boys slumped a little first not expecting the release. Theo simply stretched and brushed the wrinkles out of his uniform sitting up in the chair. Blaise stood up instantly reaching for his wand but before he could fully grasp it Harry cast a nonverbal expelliarmus catching it with one hand. "Not going to get an answer if you attack us." Harry said.

"How did you do that?" Blaise asked stunned.

Harry looked to Draco who nodded for him to go ahead. "I'm from the future." Harry said. Blaise's eyes went wide and he fell back onto the couch, Theo's jaw dropped. "So is Neville, Hannah, and Draco."

"How?" Theo asked instantly curious but clearly a little skeptical.

"Not our choice." Draco said. "Some ancient magic ritual 'chose' us." He said using air quotes, "pulled us from our adult lives back to being eleven." Draco sent a copy of his signature test results over to Theo to read it over.

"Lord Slytherin?" He asked startled. Blaise leaned over to Theo to read along with him.

"Slytherin" Draco said pointing to himself then the others in turn as he listed "Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Hogwart."

"Ravenclaw?" Theo asked.

"Not here yet." Hannah said.

"None of this is possible." Blaise said "How do you expect us to believe this?"

"I barely do myself." Neville said shrugging.

"Can you prove it?" Theo asked.

"What would prove it for you?" Harry asked, "We all have 'alternate timeline' on our test results."

"You graduated in this alternate timeline?" Theo asked.

"Yes" Harry confirmed.

"Cast a patronus."

Harry smiled and cast the charm without words or his wand, his blue stag appeared and flew around the room. The professors looked just as shocked as Theo and Blaise did, staring with wide eyes and mouth agape. It was rare to have one so corporeal after all.

"whoa" Susan said in awe as she approached the stag like she wanted to pet it. "Hannah showed me hers but this looks so real."

"What is yours Hannah?" Harry asked, "I don't think I've seen it before."

Hannah smiled and used her wand to cast the charm producing her swan and Neville quickly followed.

"Aweee" Harry said as the swans flew to each other and entwined their necks. "That’s why you guys call each other your swan? That’s so adorable." Neville and Hannah both blushed.

"Draco?" Theo asked to the blonde boy sitting there ringing his hands.

Draco

"I can't." 

Draco felt everyone staring at him and he didn’t know what to do. They usually taught patronus charms in seventh year DADA but since there was no DADA in his seventh year he had never learned. He got lucky when taking his NEWTS after the war that the proctor took pity on him and allowed him to pass without successfully casting it. Absolutely tanked his marks though.

"Do you want to try?" Hannah asked gently.

Draco shook his head, "It needs a happy memory. I don't have any." He felt tears trickle out his eye and did his best to stealthily wipe his face and control his breathing.

"What happened?" Theo asked, "In this alternate timeline of yours?"

"Voldemort" Harry says and both boys gasped.

"How? He's dead." Theo said.

"You're dad still has his mark doesn't he?" Draco asked gripping his left forearm. Theo stiffened but Draco barely noticed, "When he's really dead the mark is destroyed leaving deep scars that never stop burning. That way you can never forget how you failed." Draco took a deep breath and looked at Theo, "He made a failsafe so he could come back, and he did."

"You got a mark?" Theo asked anxiously rubbing his own arm.

"So did you."

Theo shook his head "No, I wouldn't"

"It was either that or die." Draco said, "Not much of a choice."

"And me?" Blaise asked.

"I'm not sure, he couldn't threaten your mom so you weren't marked as far as I knew, he tried though."

"You fought with us in the end" Hannah said to Blaise. "I saw you take down a troll with a stunner."

Blaise sighed "I'm still not sure I buy any of this."

"That’s fair" Harry said "Trust that we know this all sounds ridiculous. All the same though its our secret and I ask that you keep it as such."

"We're trying to prevent what happened to us from happening again. If the wrong people find out any of it we'd be in big trouble." Neville said.

"Like other death eaters?" Blaise asked.

"Dumbledore." Neville said.

"Dumbledore?" Blaise asked incredulously.

"Yes." Neville confirmed seriously, "He's attempted to obliviate both me and Harry and has successfully cast strong compulsions on Ron and Hermione.

"What compulsions?" Theo asked.

"Hatred of Slytherins." Harry said, "Very original I know."

"That makes sense actually, they started acting weird a few days ago." Theo said.

"The compulsion is gone but we told them to keep acting at least until they get more practice with occlumency for protection."

"That why you asked how our occlumency was?" Blaise asked.

"If I couldn’t trust you to keep our secret we'd make you forget." Draco said. "I'm sure you'd find us out eventually again but it would buy us some time at least. Still an option really."

"You're really serious about all this then?" Blaise asked.

"Lives depend on it." Draco said.

Blaise sighed, "I need time to think about all this" he began, "I promise I won't tell anyone and I don't need a reason to want to stay as far away from our headmaster as possible."

"Thank you" Hannah said.

"I want to know everything." Theo said, "Like whats behind that wall you guys came through."

"I think that’s a revelation for another night." Susan said, "You go in there and you'll never leave."

Theo perked up "It’s a library?"

"Oh come one Suz, really?" Hannah said covering her mouth to hide her smile.

Susan just laughed.

Chapter Text

Hannah

Hannah laid in bed for a long time waiting for her mind to quiet down but it was starting to feel like it never would. It kept cycling between everything they had yet to do and all the possible ways it could go wrong. Seeing the list of all their tasks made her feel like they couldn't possibly get to it all, especially since more problems popped up every day. She didn’t understand how Harry could function at all the last few weeks with the list on his mind, not to mention that It felt like each day more people found out their secret and she worried one day they'd lose hold on it all and get exposed.

She felt pain in her chest and a sadness that she couldn’t pinpoint, almost like homesickness but not quite. She tried to reach to Hufflepuffs magic for the support it usually provided but even that encompassing calm just wasn't cutting it this time. She sat up wanting to go find Neville but not knowing how she would even get to him, she only barely managed to feel her ring reacting to her desire before she pulled her knees up to her chest and began to cry silently to herself.

It was no time at all before she felt a light touch on her leg and she whipped her head up reaching for her wand. She stopped just as quickly, relaxing when she realized that is was Neville.

"Just me" he said gently sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling her close. She leaned into his touch and let her tears flow freely.

"You came?" She asked confused.

"You called." he answered simply.

"How'd you even get here?"

"I think your magic let me in." He said, "But nothing could stop me from getting to you when you need me. Nothing." Hannah smiled through her tears trying to hold him closer. "You're okay my love, let it all out" he continued as he brushed her hair gently with his fingers.

When she was sufficiently cried out he held her cheek gently and dried her eyes. "Problem solving or resting?" he asked.

"Resting" Hannah said, "but we can't here" She felt the tears starting again, she wanted nothing more than to cuddle up next to Neville but if Sally-Anne or Meagan woke up to find a first year Gryffindor in her bed there would be too many questions.

"Not here" Neville said assuredly. He picked her up in a bridal style walking them down to the common room and out of the dorms. He turned to an empty hallway and stood in front of the wall. "Ask your magic to open the door." he whispered to her. 

Hannah looked up confused but did so, reaching to the founders magic and asking it to allow her passage through a door she couldn’t see. The wall shimmered with a golden glow then revealed a beautiful door embossed with badgers and decorated with an assortment of colourful flowers. The door opened itself to let them in revealing a bedroom that felt so much like the bedroom they shared at home.

"Its beautiful" Hannah said in awe.

"It turns out you and Hufflepuff have similar tastes in decor, all I changed was the mattress."

"This was her room?"

Neville nodded, "I read about them in Gryffindor's Journal, they all had their own rooms since they lived here year round to be close to Heather. Eventually the rooms were forgotten, I asked if it would be alright to use them."

Neville walked them both inside and laid Hannah down on the bed tucking her gently underneath the covers then climbing into the other side to join her. He snuggled up close to her, brushing the hair away from her face.

They laid just holding each other for a while in silence and eventually Hannah felt her thoughts becoming less oppressive.

"Whats on your mind?" Neville asked.

"I'm overwhelmed." She said letting out a long breath, "There's so much to do and I'm so scared of making things worse." Neville nodded along as she continued. "I also just miss home so much. I miss my body and I miss always ending my day with you."

Neville pulled her closer and held her tight. "I feel the same, on all accounts." he began "I miss being at eye level with other adults." Neville said and Hannah smiled laughing a little. "It's weird seeing you in bed but so young, it feels wrong."

"I feel like a creep."

Neville laughed "I know right? I don't think Snape really saw us as adults until he saw that memory of yours."

Hannah blushed and playfully pushed him "Stop!" She yelled through her laugh "I was so embarrassed."

Neville just laughed pulling her back close to him and brushing her hair with his fingers. "Seeing that list today was a lot" he admitted to her, "Its really scary to see all the things we still have to do, and I'm not sure we'll ever stop adding things to it." She curled into herself but Neville just squeezed her tighter and kept going. "But we're not alone. Harry and Draco both have our backs, just like we have theirs. You don't have to do this by yourself." He cupped her cheek with a gentle hand tilting her head up so they were looking eye to eye. "You are extraordinary Hannah. You've managed to keep yourself and three incredibly traumatized boys sane through all this insanity so far. I am incredibly thankful to have you here and I am so unbelievably proud of you."

Hannah way crying by the second word. "That’s not fair." she said through her tears, "I wasn't ready."

"It only sticks when you're not ready." Neville said kissing her forehead. "When you're ready you convince yourself I'm lying, and I never am."

Hannah sighed. "I'm trying. I promise."

"I know you are. I could tell you I'm proud of you for that too, but I think you'd kill me."

"Dam right" Hannah said laughing through her tears.

"You feeling better though?"

Hannah took a deep breath releasing her emotions. "Yeah" she said, "This is so much better than the dorm."

"Good, get some sleep now, we can talk more in the morning."

Within minutes she was fast asleep with Neville right beside her.

Neville 

Neville woke up for the first time in a while with Hannah beside him. He'd have to try to find some way to explain to his dormmates where he went every night because there was no way he could go back to sleeping away from her when this was an option. Something about her being there beside him made him sleep so much better. Thankfully his nightmares had paused since coming back in time, he figured having seen his Grandmother alive and well again had stopped the dreams, at least for the time being.

He nudged Hannah awake and she blinked the sleep from her eyes. "Morning beautiful" he said.

"Hi" She said smiling.

"You sleep okay?"

"Best sleep since we got here." She said rolling closer to him.

"Me too."

"I was thinking." Hannah said, "What if we told our dormmates about us?"

"About us or about it all?" Neville asked.

"I don't know." Hannah sighed, "I've really only thought as far as if they know something we can just spend every night here."

"That would be really nice." Neville admitted, "Besides at this rate our whole class is going to know by the end of the year."

Hannah laughed, "I'll bring it up with the others obviously, but I feel like they'd all be okay. They were all DA members at least."

"I'd have to be careful with Seamus, he has a bit of a short fuse sometimes, but I don't see it being an issue with Dean."

"Sally-Anne and Meagan are good friends, I think they'd understand."

"Okay, let's give it some time since we've told a lot of people this week and I don't want to give Draco an aneurysm but we'll bring it up soon."

Hannah laughed and nodded, "Okay."

"When are you two off to the bank this morning?" He asked.

"Soon I think, he's going to ring me."

"I should go talk to the twins then, you going to sleep in some more?"

Hannah smiled, "I think I'll just enjoy the peace."

Neville kissed her forehead and got up. "I love you."

"I love you too."

~

Neville made it to the hall for breakfast very early, he wanted to make sure he caught the twins whenever they made it down. It was a good thing too because when he arrived they were already there. The hall was mostly empty except for a couple older students who were studying as they ate and Fred and George huddled close whispering to each other. Neville approached and sat right across from them.

"Fred, George." He said in greeting to each of them.

"Not quite."

"Did I get it wrong?" Neville asked.

"If you're not one hundred percent sure you're right, you're wrong."

Neville smiled, "Fair enough, challenge accepted."

The twins watched him "Don't think-"

"-we'll make it easy."

"Wouldn't dream of it." he said shaking his head, "How's our friend this morning?"

Both boys smiled wide, "He's been kept occupied."

"Been a very helpful test subject."

Neville sighed, "As long as he can still provide a testimony I don't think I want to know the details."

Fred mimed being hurt and George said "You wound us, we always keep our promises."

Neville raised his hand in surrender "No offense intended, just needed to check. I need him back this morning."

Both boys laughed "Just playing with you."

"Mission complete?"

"Yes, my friends are meeting with an investigator this afternoon."

Fred and George exchanged a look "Harry and Draco?"

"Or Susan and Hannah?"

Neville narrowed his eyes and quickly cast Hannah's ward around the three of them and used a sticking charm to trap the twins in their seats. They both looked far more impressed than concerned. Neville tried to subtly check if anyone had noticed but it was still early and the hall was thankfully pretty empty, Dumbledore was nowhere to be seen.

"Talk."

"We don't know whatever it is you think we do."

"You said your friends were handling it-"

"those are your friends."

Neville sighed, Draco was right they really sucked at the stealth part of all this. He probably over reacted a little but if people were noticing the four of them this could be a problem.

"Where do you go?"

"When you disappear on the seventh floor?"

"We've never found anything up there."

Neville crossed his arms, "Do you want to keep working with the Marauders?"

Both twins paused. "yes" they said together.

"Then drop it. It's not safe for you to know yet." He looked between both of them, "I promise as soon as its possible we'll tell you everything."

"When can we expect that to be?"

"When you can learn occlumency enough to put up a decent fight against Snape."

"He'll be our judge?" Neville nodded.

"Hope he's ready for it."

Neville felt a little guilty for setting the twins on him, he'd have to try and catch him to warn the guy before he was over run. It sounded like the twins were already pretty confident in their occlumency which would be great for their next mission.

"Are you practiced?" He asked them.

"Steel traps" Fred said tapping his head.

"Got to keep our inventions a secret you know."

Neville laughed, "Good, I'll be talking with you soon then. Before then I have a new mission if you wish to accept."

Both boys nodded, "At your service little Marauder."

"I need as many students to learn occlumency as possible." Neville said, "As covertly as possible."

"Something's happening, isn't it?" George asked nervously.

Neville looked down, "Something I'll tell you about once I know its safe to do so."

"You have a plan?" Fred asked.

"Lots of plans." Neville said, "For this particular problem our thinking was to start a club."

"A clandestine club?"

Neville laughed, "Yeah, exactly. We need people to want to learn defensive spells without prying eyes.,"

"Hmmm, that is a tricky problem."

"You have time to think about it, not urgent yet."

"Yet?"

"Yet." Neville confirmed.

"Are you okay?" George asked.

"If the marauders are getting you involved in something bad…" Fred continued.

Neville held up his hands to placate them, "Its not that, I promise." Neville said, "They're probably not what you think but they're not forcing me to do anything. I'm alright, I just can't explain anything to you yet."

"You better tell Snape to be ready for us."

"We'll be visiting very soon."

"I'll be sure to apologize in advance." Neville said. "So about that rat?"

Hannah

Hannah and Harry used the floo from Snape's office to head to the bank. Neville had met them there with Peter in his cage and began to apologize to Snape profusely about the twins coming to him for an occlumency test. Apparently that was the stipulation he gave them before being provided more information and they were pretty confident they had solid shields. Hannah was starting to think they'd need another list just for people and what they knew so they could keep track.

Harry had apparently sent ahead a letter to Argos so they were directed right to his office. It meant they didn't have to disguise themselves when they arrived.

"Peace to you" Hannah said greeting Argos like Harry had told her to, bowing her head slightly. The goblin smiled and returned the gesture.

"I see Lord Potter has been teaching you our customs."

"Yes Sir, it is an honour to be trusted with this."

Argos turned to Harry and gave a small thumbs up, "I like her."

Harry laughed, "Hard not to."

Hannah smiled and they all sat down. "Our guest won't be here for another hour or so, before then we have some business to take care of." Harry nodded and Argos continued after passing a form over to Harry. "That is an authorization request from." He explained, "Please read it over, I have filled it out to make it so only you and my team of staff have access to your vaults."

"Right." Harry said thoroughly reading the document then pricking his finger and pressing it to the bottom of the page. "A certain someone was poking his head in?"

Argos nodded "Albus Dumbledore." Harry seethed even though he certainly already knew who it was. "I was alerted to his request as your vault supervisor and was able to deny him access by citing routine maintenance."

"I really appreciate that Sir." Harry said. "Thank you for arranging this, I'm sorry I didn't make those changes earlier."

Argos waved the concern away, "You have much on your plate, this is business I can take care of."

Harry nodded, "it is much appreciated."

"Now you have something you wanted to ask me?"

"Yes" Harry said, "What are the rules in regards to withdrawing a personal possession from another wizards vault?"

Argos narrowed his eyes, "In what capacity?"

"Hufflepuff's cup." Harry said flatly, "It resides in the Lestrange vault, I'm hoping that as the Lady Hufflepuff Hannah may be able to request a retrieval."

Argos rubbed his chin in thought, "It's nearly unheard of." He said, "But so is your presence as a whole." He paused and riffled through a drawer under his desk, "I believe it can be done but it will take time."

"We are in no big rush, I'd like to have it by the end of the school year but it can wait if need be."

"May I ask what you need it for?"

"It's a horcrux." He said plainly.

Argos paused, snapping the quill he held in his hand. He looked up at Harry studying his expression, "Am I to believe that within the bank resides a piece of the Dark Lords soul."

"Yes." Harry confirmed.

"And in this other timeline, you destroyed this piece?"

"Yes."

"How, may I ask, did you retrieve it then?" Harry stared back at him not wanting to answer. Hannah didn't know the details, only that they had stolen it during their seventh year. Argos continued eyes narrowing further, "Lord Potter, did you rob this bank?"

"I did." Harry said.

Argos took a deep breath, "And your plan this time?"

"Not that." Harry shook his head, "I can assure you I have no intention to repeat that particular activity."

Argos sighed, "We will be discussing this later in great detail. If there is a hole in our security I must be made aware."

"Of course" Harry said, "I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, I didn't want it to affect our relationship."

"An unfortunate human folly." Argos said, "Any more secrets I should expect?"

Harry shook his head vigorously, "No sir. Wait, actually, not a secret technically, but I can get Gryffindor's sword returned to you."

Argos eyes shined, "Go on." He said.

Harry smiled, "I may need Neville's help to summon it but I can have it for you at our next meeting."

"Very well, I will be holding you to that promise."

"Of course." Harry paused. "I really am sorry for not telling you sooner about the, uh, theft."

Argos sat down and closed his eyes calming himself, "I understand your hesitation." He said finally, "You have forgiven my transgressions and so I will forgive this in turn. I will trust that it was your only option at the time."

"Thank you." Harry said sincerely, "It was." He confirmed, "However in this time it's never been even a thought of an option."

Argos nodded, "Any more business to attend to before you tell me the plan for our guest?"

"Yes actually, I was hoping you could provide a list of inherited properties we could tour."

Argos nodded, "Yes that will be easy, would you like your list as well Lady Abbot?"

Hannah felt whiplash from the speed at which the conversation changed tones. The goblin seemed back to his almost chipper self from when they arrived. Harry nudged her to reply, "Yes." She said quickly, "Yes, please Sir."

"Hmm" he said reading through a parchment he had summoned. "It seems that since you are bonded to Lord Longbottom his inheritances also show up for you. Unfortunately, I cannot generate a list for Lord Malfoy without him present."

"This is more than enough." Harry said as Argos passed him the parchment. "Thank you."

Argos nodded, "My pleasure." Hannah read through the list of properties he handed to her and as was surprised at the length of it. "I added a symbol to identify which line each property originates from, I suggest you avoid using any properties that have other living family members."

"Brilliant." Harry said.

Neville

Neville decided that while Harry and Hannah were off at the bank he would do some reading to take his mind of the worrying. He was positive they would be just fine but he knew his mind could wander if he wasn't distracted so distracted he would be.

When he arrived at the secret library he noticed Draco was already there, deeply immersed in whatever it was he was working on. He had several books open and notes splayed everywhere on the coffee table and the floor with two quills taking notes at the same time. Neville approached the sitting area and knocked gently against a side table to get his attention.

Draco sat bolt up and all the papers around him scrambled into a pile.

"Hi" He said flustered, "How long have you been there?"

"Hi" Neville returned, "About two seconds. I didn't see anything."

Draco's face turned pink as he looked away, "I don't like people watching me work."

"I get that" Neville said nodding, "I can go somewhere else if you want to work alone."

Draco thought about it for a moment then shook his head. "No it's okay, I've hit a block anyways not much more I can do today."

Neville sat down, "Anything I can help with?"

"I don't even know" Draco said with a sigh, "I'm missing something important, I just can't make sense of it."

"Whats the problem?"

"That's the thing, I don't actually know." He pulled out one of his notes and showed it to Neville. Neville was completely out of his depths trying to make sense of the page. "There seems to be a specific requirement from each caster but I don't know what. Ravenclaw said the ritual could only be completed by them and no one else could stand in."

"So is it just the founders magic then?"

Draco sighs "I have to assume it will work for us for that reason but that doesn't explain the why. We were chosen by their magic but what made them have those properties in the first place and what are they."

"I see the dilemma." Neville said as Draco leaned back and rubbed his forehead, "sorry I can't help more."

Draco shook his head but he looked almost uncomfortable, "It's fine." he said.

"You okay"? Neville asked.

Draco sighed, "I'm just not used to this whole 'friend' thing." he admitted using air quotes, "I usually get told to shut up by now, It kind of unnerves me."

"You had friends in Slytherin though?"

"I had allies, not friends. This feels different, I don’t hate spending time with you and Harry and I actually like Hannah." Neville smiled and was about to reply when he noticed Draco blush bright red and look up in panic, "Not like, like her." Draco stammered, "Not that she's not pretty- obviously not like right now- I just- UGH" Draco struggled.

Neville tried to hold in his laugh so as not to embarrass him further but he mostly failed and Draco looked to him in utter horror.

"Sorry, sorry." Neville said, "I'm not laughing at you I promise, at least not how you think." He took a breath to calm himself and continued, "Hannah's great and I'm glad you like her, I'm also glad you respect me enough to try and make your intentions clear." Draco blushed again and looked down to the floor staying silent. "Its okay if you do 'like' her you know."

Draco whipped his head up in shock, "But you're married." he exclaimed.

"We are." Neville confirmed and Draco just stared so he explained further, "I'm not the jealous type."

"Its not just her." Draco admitted after a long moment of silence, "It’s the same feeling for you and Harry just not as strong I guess. I thought it was some side affect of the ritual you know, making us all like each other more so we'd work together?"

Neville thought about it, "It's certainly possible." He said, "Though I haven't noticed any changes myself."

"Oh" Draco said looking dejected.

"Draco," Neville said seriously. "What do you think my opinion of you is?"

Draco looked up nervously, "I was a death eater." he said sadly "I don't have to guess-"

"Stop." Neville said anger resonating with the word and Draco looked shocked. "stop." he said again more gently, "I haven't thought badly of you since the battle of Hogwarts." Draco looked away but Neville continued. "You were dealt a shitty hand and did what you had to to survive, just like the rest of us, I don't hold that against you."

Neville could just make out the quiet hitches of breath and the ragged rise and fall of Draco's chest. He sat with his body turned away from him to he couldn't make out his face. Neville gently placed a hand on Draco's shoulder and he flinched before relaxing just a little bit.

"I know you don't really believe it yet but I am your friend now, as are Hannah and Harry."

"I do know" Draco said quietly.

"Whatever voice is in your head telling you lies, I don't ever want it to be us."

Draco took a deep breath finally looking up to Neville. "I'll try."

Nevile smiled, "How do you feel about hugs?"

Draco tensed slightly, "I don't know."

"Wiling to try?" Draco nodded and Neville pulled him into a hug covering both Draco's arms with his own. He gently rubbed Draco's back and felt him nestle his head into Neville's shoulder gripping tightly to the back of his jumper. They stayed like that for a while until Neville felt Draco's grip lighten and he pulled back.

"Okay?" Neville asked. Draco just nodded and wiped his face. Neville smiled, "Sorry to jump you with feelings today."

Draco laughed, "It's very un-Slytherin of you."

Neville shrugged, "I'm pretty un-Slytherin." he said "You know, if you haven't noticed."

"I have." Draco said smiling slightly.

"What's your plan for the day now?" Neville asked.

Draco took a deep breath, "I was going to try and open the chamber later."

Neville nodded, "Want some company?"

Harry

They had a pretty good plan. At least Harry hoped they did, he really didn't want to have to obliviate Amelia Bones or leave Sirius in Azkaban any longer.

They decided that Harry would take point for the conversation since he had a bit more experience with how the department worked, even if he only barely made it out of auror training. They both wore glamours to make them look older having been granted permission by Argos so the goblins wards wouldn't remove them automatically. They waited in his office with Peter in his cage under the desk.

They heard a knock on the office door and all stood up, Argos went to open the door while Harry and Hannah brushed out any wrinkles from their robes. Amelia greeted Argos and walked inside taking them all in.

"Miss Bones." Harry said bowing his head in greeting. He walked over to her putting his hand out for a shake, "I am Lord Peverell." He said and she shook his hand looking skeptical.

"It's a pleasure." She said tightly. She turned to Hannah and held her hand out for a shake. "Amelia Bones, Head of the department of justice."

Hannah smiled and shook her hand, "It’s lovely to meet you." she said.

Amelia raised an eyebrow, "You don't have a name for me?"

Hannah shook her head, "A secret I'm afraid."

"I see" Amelia said crossing her arms.

"My apologies." Hannah said, "We have no intentions to lie to you today, but my identity must remain a secret until we can come to an agreement."

"You seem to have lots of secrets."

"We do." Harry agreed. "We really would like to tell you some of them but we need to know you won't go sharing them first."

Amelia smiled tightly, "Well it seems we may be at an impasse then as I will make no promises without an explanation." She looked ready to leave but Harry shook his head, " You misunderstand us. I will tell you everything I can about your investigation into Sirius Black. Our secrecy only extends to our identity and our appearance."

Amelia looked between them then to Argos and back. "Very well, I will listen for now."

Harry smiled, "Please have a seat." They all sat down and Argos summoned some tea for everyone. Harry took a sip and a deep breath. "I know you came here for information so I hope you will excuse me if we skip pleasantries and just get right into it."

Amelia smiled "Please." She said and waved her hand, "go ahead."

"Sirius Black was not the Potter's secret Keeper." He began, "The real traitor was Peter Pettigrew."

Amelia listened but didn’t look convinced. "Peter Pettigrew is dead" She said.

Harry shook his head and summoned the cage out from under the desk. "Pettigrew is an animagus and had been in hiding for the past ten years."

Amelia looked skeptical, "A rat?" She asked.

"In more ways than one." Harry said as Peter ran around frantically in his cage, he definitely knew what was coming for him. Harry stunned him without reaching for his wand and didn’t miss the way Amelia assessed him for using wandless magic. Harry removed the rat from the cage placing him on a chair and casting a transformation reversal. The rat grew into it's human body as Amelia's jaw fell open.

"Merlin." She whispered.

Harry cast some extra spells ensuring that Pettigrew would remain unconscious for the time being.

"If you'll excuse me again I'd rather not hear his squealing until absolutely necessary."

Amelia seemed at a loss for words. "How?"

"Here's what I know." Harry said waiting for Amelia to turn her attention back to him and not the unconscious Pettigrew. "James and Lily Potter decided that Sirius Black would be too obvious as their secret keeper so they chose one of their other friends instead. Unbeknownst to them, he was a spy for Voldemort." Amelia flinched at the name but he continued, "He took the information to his master and got them both killed. When Sirius heard what happened he knew immediately what Pettigrew had done and went to confront him. The result was Peter setting of that curse as a distraction, cutting off his finger, and running away as a rat."

"It is an interesting story." Amelia admitted, "But I'm not seeing why this needs to be kept a secret, surely the ministry should get involved."

Harry shook his head, "Do you think, if my story is indeed true, that Mr. Black would have been convicted had he been questioned?"

"No." Amelia said.

"So it stands to reason it was a purposeful ignorance by someone."

"Or it could have just been missed in the chaos of the end of the war." She countered.

Harry tsked and shook his head, "The most public arrest of the end of the war? No." He huffed, "I'm sure you looked into it, so tell me miss Bones, were there any missing records for any other trial occurring during or after the war?"

Amelia sighed, "No. Mr. Black's was the only information I could not find."

"As it was planned."

"You said you had proof of corruption as well, what would that be?"

"I have the will of James and Lily Potter. It has details about who their secret keeper was as well as specific instruction about the care of their son that was not followed."

Amelia narrowed her eyes, "How do you have that?"

"Peverell's and Potters are related, when James and Lily passed I became the head of the family." Harry explained, it was technically true. "Now, it is my understanding that the ministry is responsible for reading and enacting a will is that correct?"

"Yes." Amelia said.

"Sir Argos." He said turning his attention to the Goblin who seemed to be really enjoying watching the conversation. "Would you please get us a copy of James and Lily Potters final will?"

"With pleasure." Argos said smiling snapping his fingers and sifting through the pages that appeared on his desk. "Here we are." he said passing the stack to Harry who in turn passed it to Amelia.

"Please take your time reading, I'm sure you will find it as interesting as I did."

Harry had read it over a number of times now, it was full of legalese that he didn't quite understand even after Argos had tried to explain. The important parts for him was who had been chosen as guardians for Harry and how their estate was to be held until he was of age; neither of which were followed.

"Merlin." Amelia whispered as she read. "Is this real?"

"I can assure you that is the official document they signed through the bank before their deaths." Argos said.

"I know it’s a lot to take in." Harry said watching Amelia struggle with her composure.

"This is incredibly concerning." She said, "Its corruption, theft, neglect, fraud-"

"Miss Bones." Hannah said interrupting her "I understand your frustration but we are doing what we can and it is really important this not become public yet."

"But-" Amelia stuttered.

"She's right." Harry said, "We don't know who is responsible or why they did it. If we're not careful we could give them the opportunity to hide their tracks."

Amelia sighed, "I suppose I understand." She said.

They sat in silence for a while, Amelia deep in thought, occasionally looking between Harry, Hannah, and Argos trying to make sense of something.

"May I ask," She said finally, "why you are so  interested in this case. Or is that one of your secrets?"

"Partially." Harry said, "It is a personal interest."

"You are after political power?" She asked sure of her assessment.

"Hardly" Harry laughed, "That is not a concern of mine."

Amelia pursed her lips and seemed to be at war with herself before submitting, "I think I would like to hear your conditions now if you don't mind."

Harry smiled turning to Hannah, "Would you like to take it from here?"

Hannah

That conversation had gone so much better than she feared but now it was time for the harder conversation.

"Miss Bones." She began as she handed over a parchment, "We have drafted a magical contract that we would like you to review and sign if you find the conditions to be acceptable."

Amelia read it over carefully, "This is quite thorough." She said.

"Yes." Hannah agreed, "You will not be able to willingly share our secrets without our consent."

"Willingly?" Amelia asked surprised.

Harry and Hannah exchanged a look, "We do have enemies." Harry said, "People who I don't doubt would stoop to legilimancy or torture to get the information they want. We will not allow the magic of the contract to cause anyone harm if it comes to it."

Amelia pursed her lips, "This is serious?"

Hannah smiled tightly, "Unfortunately."

Amelia read over the contract again, "This last section," She said pointing to the bottom of the parchment, "means I can back out after the fact?"

"If you find our motivations to be dangerous or ill intended you will have the opportunity to renegotiate the contract."

"I see. Very well, for the first time in my career I don't have any changes to make before signing."

"You agree then?"

"Yes." Amelia said pricking her finger and pressing it to the page. Harry and Hannah followed suit and they felt the magic manifest around them. As it did the magic forcing them to be truthful removed their glamours revealing their true identity.

Amelia immediately stood shocked and reached for her wand on her thigh but didn't pull it out.

"What?" She asked breathless.

"Hello Aunty." Hannah said.

Amelia shook her head, "This isn't possible."

"We've heard that a lot." Harry said, "But you feel the magic right?" Amelia just nodded and he held out his hand for her, "My name is Harry James Potter. Lord Potter, Lord Peverell, and Lord Hogwart."

Amelia's legs seem to have gave out as she fell back down to her seat, she didn't reach out to take Harry's hand but he didn't seem offended.

"You're my Hannah?" Amelia asked.

"Hannah Abbott." She said and felt her magic sting her, the others sensed something too. "Okay fair enough," she said raising her hands in surrender, "my name is technically Hannah Longbottom at the moment but my maiden name is Abbott and I am the Lady Hufflepuff."

Amelia stared slack jawed. "How?" She practically whispered.

"We're from the future," Hannah began like they had so many times already, "we were chosen by the semi sentient magic of the Hogwarts founders to return to our younger selves and prevent some catastrophe that is to come."

"You've got that explanation down." Harry said nodding approvingly.

Hannah laughed, "Hopefully we don't need to use it many more times."

"Back up, please." Amelia said. "Future? Catastrophe? Sentient magic?"

"It’s a bit of a long story." Hannah said, "The gist is we were adults living our post war lives when we were summoned back in time with no consent or explanation. Thankfully we found each other pretty quickly and figured out what the hell happened. Unfortunately, we don't fully know the why yet."

"Who is the 'we' in all this? You and Harry?"

"Myself, Harry, Neville Longbottom, and Draco Malfoy, waiting on a fifth too."

Amelia smiled, "That’s why you and Neville were so close over the summer?" She asked. Hannah nodded, "And Susan?"

She shook her head, "She's not a traveler like us, just a really intuitive eleven year old who I can't keep secrets from."

"Well." Amelia said, "That would certainly explain the letter Susan sent me about this whole thing."

"She was quite disappointed her plan didn't work as intended." Harry said.

"Her plan?" Amelia asked surprised.

"It was her idea to try and get you looking into the case." Hannah said.

"And her idea to write the anonymous letter to you." Harry added.

"So she's okay then?" Amelia asked looking relieved.

"Oh yes, we just didn’t let her come today because she needs to study." Hannah said.

Amelia chuckled, "Well then, no complaints from me."

"I know you must have a million more questions, so where do you want to start?" Hannah asked.

"The war you mentioned." Amelia said after a moment of thought, "What happened?"

Hannah looked to Harry, "You want to take this one?"

Harry smirked, "Yeah I got it." then turned his attention to Amelia, "Voldemort made horcruxes that allow him to come back to life. He gets a body at the end of our fourth year and does exactly what you'd expect."

"Horcruxes." Amelia said tentatively, "Plural?"

Harry nodded, "My friends and I destroyed them in our seventh year before the battle."

"Why you?" Amelia said, "At what, sixteen? Surely an adult could have helped."

Harry scoffed "I'm sure someone could have, but no, no one did."

"What was I doing during all this?"

Harry looked away clenching his eyes shut. Hannah could see the disordered breathing he was trying to get control over.

Amelia turned her attention to Hannah and must have seen the sadness she felt reflected on her face. "Oh" Amelia said, "I didn't make it, did I?"

Hannah shook her head as tears fell from her eyes, "They took the ministry," She explained, "It was easy for them after that to track people down. Get into their homes."

"And have records of all muggle born witches." Amelia realized.

"Yeah." Hannah confirmed.

"Well, that is quite the catastrophe then."

"Unfortunately that’s not it." Harry said still turned away from the girls, "The war was over when we were summoned. We plan to prevent that obviously, but there is something else worse we're supposed to stop."

"Worse?" Amelia said in disbelief.

"We're talking extinction of magic level worse." Hannah explained.

Amelia put her head in her hands and took deep breaths, "How are you so calm about all this?" She asked.

Harry took a breath and looked to Amelia with an eyebrow raised, "I am decidedly not calm at the moment." Harry said.

Hannah reached for his hand to offer comfort which he took. "We're not calm," Hannah said, "We've just had more time to come to terms with it all."

"I'm so sorry. I can't even imagine."

"It's hard." Hannah agreed, "But you can see why we need to keep this all a secret?"

Amelia nodded, "Anyone could be responsible for this catastrophe?"

Hannah smiled, "Exactly." she confirmed, "We have theories of course but until we know more we can't risk anyone we don't fully trust knowing anything."

Amelia nodded, "How can I be of assistance to you this time?"

Both Harry and Hannah smiled, "Please get my godfather out of Azkaban for a start." Harry said.

"Ah, of course, that makes sense. That would be your 'personal reason' then?"

Harry nodded, "He is innocent and deserves to be free, I would also like to get to know him better this time."

Amelia thought for a moment, "I can have Mr. Black removed in secret by the end of the week."

Harry deflated with relief, "That’s perfect. Thank you. Really."

Amelia smiled, "I would like to hear the theories you mentioned, perhaps I can help with the investigations?"

Harry and Hannah exchanged a look and Harry nodded at her to go ahead. "Our prime suspect is Albus Dumbledore." She said.

"Really?" Amelia asked, "But he has always fought against the wars no?"

"We actually have anecdotal evidence that he planned the wars." Hannah said. "We've also caught him using mind manipulation magic on students and professors at School."

"Heavens." She muttered, "That’s the real reason you're telling me all this isn't it? I knew that letter was from Hogwarts and would have gone to Dumbledore first for information."

"Yeah." Harry confirmed. "That is why we decided to talk to you so soon, we were hoping to wait but it seems stealth really isn't our forte."

"Do you have a plan then?"

Harry shook his head, "Not really no, at least not yet. Our main goal for the time being is to deal with Voldemort and stop that war. In the meantime we're trying to keep an eye on Dumbledore, help our fellow schoolmates protect themselves from his influence, and try to learn whatever ancient magic he's been using to manipulate people for decades."

"Well" Amelia said, "That’s quite the list."

"That’s not even the half of it." Hannah groaned, "Don't ask." Harry just laughed.

"I will do what I can from here. I don't have any reason to renegotiate our terms." Amelia began, "Except, Hannah, I think your mother would like to know about all of this."

Hannah looked down, "I don't want her to worry." She said.

Amelia shook her head, "Tell me the real reason."

Hanna looked up and felt the tears coming, "I missed her" She said, "I don’t want to change how she sees me."

Amelia got up and pulled Hannah into a tight hug, "Your mother will love you no matter what." She said. Hannah cried into her robes but Amelia pulled her head up holding her cheeks in her hands so they were forced to be eye to eye. "Your mother will support you in whatever way you need, just like I will, just like Susan will, and just like you would for any of us. I understand if you're not ready yet but you are doing the both of you a disservice if you keep this all a secret from her. She will want to know the real you and you will want to talk to your mother."

Hannah tried to listen but her head felt too heavy with everything, "I just really miss her."

"I know dear." She said holding her close and petting her hair. Hannah gripped her aunts robes and silently cried into her chest. "I know," She whispered again, "Just think about it okay. I can be there with you if you want."

"I'll think about it." Hannah agreed wiping the tears from her face.

"We should probably head back soon." Harry said placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She did her best to straighten up and compose herself but she knew as soon as they were back at Hogwarts she would need one hell of a nap, maybe a nice bath.

"You can manage Pettigrew from here?" Harry asked standing close to Hannah letting her lean into him.

"Oh yeah." Amelia said with a wicked smile.

Harry chuckled, "I will warn you, he was subject to some pretty enterprising young minds so I'm not sure what state he will be in. They promised he would be sane and coherent but nothing else."

Amelia laughed, "I'll make it work. Shall we continue to exchange through Argos here or can we send mail directly?"

"I'd prefer either through Argos or Susan to keep away any prying eyes, I keep no secrets from them."

"Very well." Amelia said then turned to Argos, "Would you mind if I staged the arrest from your office?"

Argos smiled wide "Not at all, I would be happy to help."

Harry laughed, "I'll leave you to it then, we'll be in touch."

Chapter Text

Draco

Draco and Neville made their way to the girls bathroom on the second floor. When they arrived it was thankfully, though not surprisingly, empty. Draco hadn't heard about Myrtle until his third or fourth year but apparently it was the unofficial duty of the female prefect to warn all the first year girls about the ghosts unique personality.

"So where is this entrance?" Neville whispered as they entered.

"I don't actually know." Draco admitted, "Harry just said in this bathroom, in the sink I think?"

"Probably should have had him come with us." Neville said as he began walking around the sink looking closely at every detail.

"Probably." Draco agreed doing the same.

"Well It is a founders door right?" Neville asked, "Every other one we've found we've just had to ask it to open using their magic."

"Every other one?" Draco asked, "You found more than just the secret library?"

Neville blushed, "Kind of…" He said, "I may have found Hufflepuffs bedroom."

Draco smiled, "Needed some private time did you?"

"It sucks to sleep alone after years of sleeping with a partner." Neville said.

Draco nodded, "fair enough I suppose." then he paused and turned a serious expression on Neville. "Neville." He said evenly, "Are you planning to propose we tell your other dormmates about all of this so you and Hannah can sleep together?"

Neville's face turned a bright red, "Maybe." He said raising his hands in surrender, "To be fair we were planning on waiting to bring it up."

Draco sighed, "I think it might be fine actually."

"Really?" Neville asked shocked.

"With our luck they've all already guessed you're dating anyways." he shrugged, "And they were DA members right? I feel like we can probably trust them."

Neville smiled, "Thanks Draco."

Draco stilled and turned back to Neville with his hand finger raised to him pointedly. "I still have several concerns about the whole situation so don't go twisting my words." He huffed.

Neville laughed, "Of course you do, as do I." He said, "So, about that door?"

Draco sighed. "Just reach out with the magic?"

Neville shrugged. "Worth a shot."

Draco closed his eyes and reached into his core for Slytherins magic. It felt different from his own, cold and very very old. 'open' he thought towards it repeating it over and over again trying to picture an opening to the secret chamber.

He heard Neville gasp followed by the heavy shifting of bricks. When he opened his eyes there was a dark passageway in the middle of the sink that seemed to lead down.

"Whoa." Draco said, "I wasn't actually sure that would work."

"Draco" Neville said then continued like he couldn't quite believe it himself, "You can speak Parseltongue."

"What?" Draco asked shocked, "No I can't"

"You just hissed." Neville said.

"But I- what?"

"Could you do that before?"

"Definitely not."

"It is a magical language," Neville reasoned, "and you have Slytherins magic."

"Merlin" Draco muttered.

"Try closing it." Neville offered.

Draco tried to tap into the magic again and it took several tries before he felt himself hissing 'close' and the bricks slid back into place hiding the passageway.

"Well shit." Draco said "Can't say I was excepting that."

"Guess we don't have to worry about Petra after all." Neville said and both boys gave a chuckle at the name.

"All the same, I think I'd rather not talk to a giant snake today."

"Maybe think about getting a pet for some practice?"

Draco laughed, "Preferably not a basilisk."

"Agreed." Neville said.

~

Having confirmed they could in fact enter the chamber whenever they wanted Neville and Draco decided it was best to not stick around the girls lavatory, even if it was unlikely anyone would be coming around. Besides, if they were going to face down a Basilisk, he wanted Harry with them seeing as he's the only one who'd ever even seen the thing before.

As they made to leave Draco overheard a familiar quiet whimper coming from one of the stalls. He gently knocked on the stall door and called out to the ghost he expected to find inside, "Myrtle, is that you?"

The cry grew louder as the young ghost flew out from the stall shifting through both boys to the other side of the room.

"Come to mock me have you?" she cried floating above them. 

"Hello Myrtle." Draco said, "It's good to see you."

She sniffled and tilted her head taking them both in, "Have we met before?"

"Not exactly. My name is Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. And this is my friend Neville Longbottom." To his surprise it felt perfectly natural to introduce Neville as his friend.

"What are you doing here, opening that cursed-" she hiccuped, "room."

"You know about the room?" Neville asked.

"I've spent a lot of time alone in this bathroom, not much to do when no one comes to visit poor ugly moaning myrtle."

"I'm sorry Myrtle." Draco said, "We can come visit you sometimes if you'd like?"

Myrtle looks at them both quizzically, "Its not funny to play with a girls emotions like that."

Draco shook his head, "I'm not playing, I'll be your friend."

Myrtle slowly floated down until she was level with the boys. "Really?" She asked.

"Really." Draco said, "We will have to open that door again though."

"You really shouldn't." She whined, "It's how I died you know."

Draco nodded, "We know, we want to take care of the Basilisk so that never happens again."

Myrtle floated forward so she was standing right in front of Draco, any closer and she would be inside him. "No living people have ever believed me about the snake."

"We believe you." He said. Myrtle smiled and backed away slightly floating in the air like she was sitting crossed legged on the ground. "I actually had a question for you if you don’t mind?" Draco continued.

"I suppose."

"Do you happen to remember a student named Tom Riddle?"

Myrtle blushed, "Oh yes. He was quite handsome."

"What was he like?"

Myrtle rolled over onto her stomach crossing her arms and kicked her legs, "Well I don't know he didn't really talk to me much but he was very charming. Mostly only talked with other Slytherins but he was pretty close to the Gryffindor giant too."

"Giant?" Draco pressed.

"Mhmm" Myrtle confirmed, "He wasn't very memorable, not sure what his name was."

"Did you see much of Tom after you… you know." Draco said gesturing to her.

Myrtle harrumphed, "After I died? No I was little occupied."

"Right, I'm sorry Myrtle I didn't mean to be rude."

Myrtle got up and started to fly away but paused after a moment and turned back around. "You can make it up to me by coming to visit me again."

"Sure thing." Draco said giving her a wave goodbye, "Talk soon."

Harry

Harry met up with Snape in his office early in the morning to join him for tea with Remus Lupin. Harry wore his glamour that made him look as old as he actually was though after spending so much time in his eleven year old body it was starting to feel weird being an adult again.

They used the floo to get to Snape's home on Spinner's End. It looked even worse than Harry had imagined, the living room felt cold and dusty with little space overcrowded with books. He looked around the room taking everything in while Snape watched him.

"Its not very homey is it?"

"It’s a house not a home." Snape said "I only come here to remember why I left. Tea?"

Harry sighed, "Can I help?"

"Put out some biscuits." Snape said gesturing to a cupboard next to what had to be the kitchen sink. Harry charmed the dust away from the table and chairs and plated a collection of biscuits for them to snack on. He made sure to add extra chocolate ones for Remus.

Snape was just setting down their teacups when the floo went off again and Remus Lupin stepped out. He looked worse that Harry remembered from their first meeting. Harry could tell he had made an attempt to clean himself up for the meeting but his robes were patchy and his hair was a mess. He was far too thin and there was an almost hollow look in his eyes that was partially hidden by his uncertainty. 

"Remus," Snape said approaching the werewolf "I'd like to introduce you to my new acquaintance Lord Peverell." Snape turned to Harry and continued "My friend Remus Lupin"

"Pleasure to meet you." Harry said holding out his hand for Remus to shake.

Remus approached slowly but hesitated to put out his hand in turn, he looked to Snape who simply nodded. "Likewise." Remus said finally taking Harry's offered hand to shake. "Severus implied you have something important to discuss?"

"Yes" Harry said as they both sat down. "It’s about your friend Sirius Black."

Remus stilled then looked between Snape and Harry. "What about him?"

"Sirius is innocent, I have made arrangements to acquit him and silently have him released from his wrongful imprisonment." Harry said.

"That’s not possible" Remus said.

"I understand that this is going to be a difficult conversation for you but I can assure you that what I share with you today is entirely truthful."

"No." Remus said shaking his head refusing to believe what he thought for almost a decade was wrong. "Sirius allowed Voldemort to kill James and Lily then killed Peter when he tried to question him."

Harry shook his head, "Sirius could not have killed Peter because Peter is not dead."

Remus stood up "If this is some kind of prank Severus I swear-"

Severus stood up as well trying to calm down his friend "There is no prank Remus, he's telling the truth."

Remus continued shaking his head "No, it's not possible. Peter is dead, just like James and Lily and its all Sirius's fault."

"I know this is hard to hear after all this time." Harry started.

"No you don't!" Remus yelled and Harry was taken aback "I lost everything I loved in a single night and now you're telling me it was all a lie?"

"Remus" Snape said admonishing him. Remus sat back down with his head in his hands.

"I have experienced more than my fair share of loss." Harry said looking to Remus. "I am telling you the truth, Sirius Black is innocent, Peter Pettigrew was the traitor and has been hiding as a rat for the past ten years."

Remus sighed "After all this time?"

"Sirius never received a trial and was wrongfully convicted. Pettigrew is already in the care of the head of the department of Justice. He will be questioned and convicted and Sirius will be quietly released and pardoned, at which point he will need someone to care for him as he recovers."

"Who would that be?" Remus asked. Harry and Snape just stared at him quietly. "Me!?"

"He will adjust easier with a friend to guide him." Snape said.

"Friends? I've spent the last ten years believing him to be a traitor and a murderer!"

"It will be good for both of you to reconnect. I believe you can help each other." Harry said.

Remus shook his head "I can't."

"Remus-" Snape started but was interrupted.

"No Severus, you know I cant."

"You're condition will not be an impediment." Harry said.

Remus whipped his head to look at Snape with a face full of betrayal. "I didn’t tell him" Snape said holding his hands up in surrender "He just knew."

"You have nothing to fear from me." Harry said "While I can't explain yet how I know, I promise I have not and will not share what I know without your permission."

"I can't" Remus reiterated looking to Harry "I can't control when I turn."

"Is that your only concern?"

"Do I need another one?"

Harry looked to Snape and nodded his head, Snape pulled out a potion bottle with a shimmering golden liquid inside. Remus looked at it with careful curiosity.

"I have access to a library with some very old books." Harry began, "One of which had extensive research on how and why werewolf's transform. This potion is the closest thing we found to a cure, it puts the wolf to a restful sleep preventing any transformation until its magic is reversed. It will not affect your enhanced senses and while you will still feel some discomfort during a full moon you will have full control."

Remus looked at the potion in shock unable to say anything. Harry continued concerned that Remus was worried about being used as an experiment, "It was extensively studied and brewed by Severus, though I understand if you are still hesitant to try it."

Remus finally looked at Harry in shock "No!" He yelled then tried to collect himself before continuing "Sorry of course I-" he paused "Its all I ever wanted, but why now? Why me?"

"There is a lot I cannot tell you yet, I'm sorry." Harry said sincerely, "Easiest answer is that I need your help and this is my payment."

Remus looked between them and the potion, "Slytherin then I presume?"

Harry laughed "Guilty. I promise to tell you more in time, but for now, I need Sirius somewhere safe and cared for. Can you do that?"

Remus narrowed his eyes "Another secret?"

"Same one actually."

Remus sighed, "If the potion works as you say I will look after Sirius." Harry smiled but Remus held up his hand "Another problem is where? I don't have a permanent residence anywhere."

"Oh" Harry said shocked.

Remus shrugged "No one wants to rent to a wolf and I don’t exactly have purchasing money."

"There's always Grimauld" Snape said.

"No" Harry said quickly "Sirius shouldn't spend time there anymore than you should be here." He said to Snape, then turned back to Remus. "Go to Gringotts and ask for Argos, he will make arrangements for you."

"Why would the goblins help me?"

"They are helping me, I will let him know to expect you." Remus clearly didn’t know what to say so simply nodded. Harry continued "Be polite and you will have no difficulties. You will find most goblins will be more than happy to assist you when treated with respect." Harry watched as Remus dutifully took in the instructions.

"Any other concerns?" Snape asked both of them. Harry and Remus both shook their head. "Very well, I think you should head back then," He said to Harry, "I will stay with Remus while he tries the potion and will let you know the results."

Remus let out some of the tension he was holding, it made sense he wouldn't be eager to try an experimental potion with such an audience. Harry stood up and held his hand out to Remus.

"Pleasure meeting you." He said as Remus stood and took his hand "I will plan to visit you in your chosen residence with more details about our friends release."

"I will look forward to it." Remus said.

Harry nodded to Snape who returned the gesture and he walked to the floo returning to Snapes office at Hogwarts.

Neville

Neville and Draco made their way back to the secret library after talking to Myrtle. When they arrived they found McGonagall in the room talking with the sorting hat and portraits.

"Hello Professor" Neville said getting her attention.

"Ah, Mr. Longbottom, Mr. Malfoy." She replied, "Do you have a moment?"

"Yeah," Neville replied, "Whats going on?"

"I don’t believe this will be a problem until next year but I thought you should know that Dumbledore has been very focused recently on creating a new sorting vessel."

"well good luck to him." Gryffindor scoffed.

"He's given up on trying to locate it?" Draco asked.

"Not entirely, he still wants it for something though I'm not sure why."

"Does he still want Harry to switch houses?" Neville asked.

"Actually no I don't believe so. However he has been taking a great interest in you Mr. Longbottom."

Neville sighed, "Great."

"It makes sense" Draco said, "You’re in Potters position this time."

As if on queue Harry entered the room and having noticed the three of them chatting came to join. "What about me?" he asked sitting down.

"Dumbledore's been distracted lately but has been taking an interest in me apparently."

Harry nodded, "Guess he gave up on me. That would be nice, sorry to you though buddy."

Nevile smiled and shook his head, "Yeah you seem devastated."

Harry shrugged, "Well you are the other 'chosen one'" He said in air quotes.

Everyone looked to him in confusion

"Oh, I don't think I ever mentioned… You remember the prophecy Neville?"

Neville fought back the memories of the battle in the ministry. "Of course." He replied.

"Well technically, you could be the child of the prophecy, same as me."

"What!?" Neville and Draco said at the same time.

"Born at the end of July to parents who have thrice defied the dark lord. Could have been either of us, I was just chosen by Voldy. Supposedly."

"Did you get to hear the full prophecy?" Neville asked, "I thought it had smashed." 

Harry nodded then paused, "Actually I guess I can't say for sure, I saw it through Dumbledore so…"

"Well regardless, what you heard is likely what he's going to use." Draco said.

Harry perked up, Neville could practically see the lights going off in his head with an idea forming. He smiled and chuckled as pieces fit together. "I have an idea." Harry said.

McGonagall shivered, "You look far too much like your father at the moment for me to be excited about this idea."

Harry smiled wide, "Well we're obviously not very good at stealth right?"

"Right…" Draco said fearing what was to come.

"So we do the opposite. Distract instead of hide, I can be quite the menace you know."

"Yes I am well aware." Draco said, "What exactly is this plan?"

"We play the roles Dumbledore wants us to. Neville will be the Golden Boy and I'll play the Slytherin Rival."

Draco stared at him blinking slowly, "Is that how you saw us?"

"Did you not?" He asked. Draco pursed his lips but didn't reply. "It will set back my hope of house unity but unfortunately Dumbledore is a bigger problem at the moment."

"What exactly is this supposed to accomplish?" Neville asked, "Sorry, not quite following."

"He'll think he was successful in turning you against me and Slytherins in general and I will keep his eyes away from the others by being insufferable."

"Couldn't he just expel you?"

"He wont be able to." McGonagall said, "Expulsions require three signatures. One from the headmaster, one from the students head of house, and one from the education committee at the ministry."

Harry turned to look at Draco who immediately put his head in his hands. "I don't like where this is going."

"I was going to ask you to tell him anyways." Harry said. "He also has one of the horcruxes."

"Fine but I'm waiting until Yule break so don't go doing anything drastic until then."

Harry gave him a thumbs up.

McGonagall sighed, "You better warn Severus."

Hannah

Hannah and Susan stayed behind after potions to talk to Snape. They told Sally-Anne and Meagan that they wanted to go over the potion again to fix what they had mixed up, in reality they were staying behind for one of her legilimancy lessons. Susan stayed with him because she wanted to test out the occlumency shields she was developing.

Hannah had read all the books Snape had given her about legilimancy and some additional ones she found in the secret library. Theoretically she knew what she was doing but she was really worried she'd accidentally hurt Snape during their practice. 

They sat down across from each other and Snape could definitely tell she was nervous. "Are you ready for this?" He asked.

"As ready as I can be I think."

"I am confident I can extricate you from my mind if you get lost, just try to stay calm and I will lead you out."

Hannah took a deep breath, "Okay." She said "I do trust you, its just scary."

"It should be scary." Snape said. He didn't have to elaborate on why. Going into someone's mind was incredibly dangerous for both parties, let alone the moral implications. "You won't need to cast a spell to enter like I do but you'll probably find eye contact helps when you're learning."

"How could I have gone all this time without knowing I can do this?"

"I don't think you did."

"What do you mean?"

"Draco told me last night that he can now speak parseltongue, something he assures he was incapable of in your timeline. I suspect that any magical abilities the founders had are now accessible to you through their magic."

"So Hufflepuff was probably a legilimens then?"

"I expect so yes. I think you ought to talk to her about that but for now we still have our lesson"

"Right, okay." Hannah exhaled and tried to calm her nerves to get started, she looked at Snape and tried to ease her way into his mind.

She started to feel dizzy and then had the worst vertigo she'd ever experienced, she tried to remain calm and push inwards but the disorientation was really disconcerting. She closed her eyes and when she tried to open then she found her vision was white and fuzzy, she felt like she was floating yet could still feel her body sitting on the outside.

"Am I in?" She asked tentatively.

"Yes, I'm going to show you something now."

"Okay." Hannah said. As soon as she did she could see a scene unfolding around her of her first potions class, she was enveloped within Snapes mind and body as if she was him reliving the memory. She could see herself and her other classmates listening while Snape talked about what the class would entail. Hannah laughed to herself at how obvious she was about not paying attention in class, no wonder so many people had called them out.

The scene went fuzzy and shifted to another potions class but this time as a student, at the head of the room was Professor Slughorn. Hannah looked around the room at the other students assembled, many of which she recognized as adults she fought with or against during the war. To her dismay there were just as many she knew had died in the first war including a boy who looked exactly like Harry. 

In the corner of her vision she noticed a dark light that felt very out of place, every time she turned towards it it would move slightly staying out of her field of focus. She tried to reach to it with her magic and found herself pulled into another scene but everything was dull and murky and almost pixelated, she couldn't make out any of the details. Around her felt like there was some kind of shield in place unlike the barriers she had been practicing herslelf.

"Where are you?" Snape asked, "I can't feel you anymore."

"I'm not sure, its dark and there's some kind of wall." As she spoke she reached out with her incorporeal hand to touch the wall and felt quick flashes of memories that she couldn't piece together. She felt overwhelmed with fear and frustration and the vague outline of Dumbledore before she pulled out sharply. She closed her eyes and tried to move her consciousness out from the weird pocket and of his mind not wanting to be there any longer.

When she opened her eyes she was looking at Snape sitting across from her. "Did you feel that?" She asked.

Snape shook his head, "I just felt you jolt then pull out, what happened?"

"You didn't feel where I was?" She asked him.

"No, it was like you had left entirely."

"I found something." She began not sure how to describe it, "It was dimmer than the other places I saw and there was some kind of barrier. I tried to touch it and when I did I saw… something… I'm really not sure. I think I saw Dumbledore but it was really vague. I just felt scared."

Snape listened intently at her explanation, "I've never experienced anything like that." He said.

"Do you think it could be Dumbledores magic?"

"It's certainly possible, but I don't think we should go experimenting with that until we know more."

"I guess I should visit Hufflepuff soon."

Harry

Harry walked with Draco back to their Dorms. Draco walked very slowly pausing frequently clearly thinking very deeply about something.

When they arrived to their room they found themselves alone, Draco sat rigidly on his bed and just stared straight ahead. Harry watched him for a moment then spoke out. "Draco." He said getting the other boys attention, "Are you sure you're okay with this plan?"

"Does it really matter?"

"Of course it does." Harry said. He wouldn't go through with it if they didn't all think it could work. It was definitely risky but Harry also knew that playing into someones expectations of you could be a very powerful tool. 

Draco sighed and thought about it, "We just don't know enough about Dumbledore's mind magic. I know Flamell said we are probably immune its just a big gamble." 

"I know." Harry replied, "I'm worried about that too." 

"I think if anyone is going to try it should be one of us, given our training, but it still scares me."

"Our training?" Harry asked, "Neville and Hannah have pretty much caught up to where I'm at with occlumency."

"No I mean… Oh." Draco went still.

"What?" Harry asked gently.

"Its not important." Draco said ringing his hands.

Harry glared at him, "what is it?" He said with more force.

Draco sighed, "I'm guessing your auror training didn't include veristerum."

Harry stared at him, mouth agape, Draco just smiled tightly. "How much?" Harry whispered almost not wanting to know the answer.

"I'm immune now." Draco said.

"Who did it?" Harry practically growled, he could feel the anger bubbling within him, vision going red and hands tightening to fists at his side.

"I don't remember." Draco said quietly.

"Yes you do."

"And what are you going to do if I tell you!?" Draco shouted before collecting himself again, "It doesn't matter, he hasn't done anything this time around."

"You don't know that."

"Harry! Just drop it. I'll keep on eye on it okay? If I notice anything suspicious then we can look into it."

"Fine." Harry said sitting back down crossing his arms. 

"Its not like that’s the worst that happened anyways."

"You know that’s not exactly comforting."

"I knew it wasn't right but what could I have even done?" He sighs, "I probably should have just quit like you did."

Harry flinches and he can tell that Draco didn't miss it. Harry spoke before Draco could ask the question. "I didn’t quit."

"But you left." Draco questioned.

"I was fired. They just made it look like I quit to save face."

"I don't…"

Harry sighed, "I couldn't hack it. It was my first real mission, I'm sure it was supposed to be something else; a simple arrest or house call or something like that." He heaved a breath, "But it was the day the Longbottom's…" His breath caught and he couldn't finish the sentence but it didn't matter, everyone knew about what happened to the Longbottom's.

"Oh no" Draco said holding his hand to his mouth.

"It was all hands on deck for that. I found them first, the little ones. Seeing them there, it felt like I was back at the battle and I guess something just broke. I don't remember what happened but I know I hurt people. Ron knocked me out and when I woke up they explained some of what happened, said I was too damaged to work the force, and sent me packing."

"I'm so sorry, I didn’t know." Draco whispered.

"I think there's a lot we don't know about each other." Harry said.

"Yeah, I think so too."

Chapter Text

Harry

Harry woke up to Hedwig pecking at him with a letter at her feet.

"Good morning girl" he mumbled as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He sat up and took the letter while scratching her head. So much had already changed in this timeline but his Hedwig was just the same as she always was. Harry recognized the stationary as Argos' immediately but still did his customary check for curses before opening them. Hedwig shook her head like she was exasperated with his caution, he gave her a treat and she flew off back outside. Harry could tell being in the dungeons made her uncomfortable so he always let her off on her own, she always seemed to know when he needed her to send letters anyways. 

Lord Potter,

I have several updates for you.

Miss Bones has informed me that the arrest and interrogation of Mr. Pettigrew was successful and has not been questioned by the Ministry. Lord Black will be released from Azkaban on Friday morning into her custody and will be escorted to the Potters Norwich property which Mr. Lupin selected following our meeting. He is there now preparing for Lord Blacks' arrival.

I have confirmed with our elders that we will be able to retrieve Hufflepuff's cup from the Lestrange vault given the items historical and magical significance, however, it will be a very arduous process. I have sent Lady Abbott all the documentation she will need to fill out and have arranged to have her visit me so we can go over it together. I expect it will be a couple months before the cup is in your possession.

Additionally, we are conducting a thorough assessment of every item within the bank to identify if any other items have qualities against our regulations. We have already identified a number of items some of which I believe may be of interest to you and your party; however, I am not yet at liberty to provide any details on the matter. I will be in touch with details as soon as possible.

Peace to you,

Argos

Harry's mind was racing trying to think of what Argos could have possibly found in the bank that would be of interest to them. Perhaps something to do with the founders or ancient magic? He decided to put those thoughts on the back burner for now, he trusted Argos to let him now the important details that pertained to him when he was able to do so. Until then he would focus on the problems he could actually do something about.

It wasn't surprising to Harry that Remus had chosen one of the Potters residences to move to. Argos knew not to show him any of the properties from family lines that would give their identity or secrets away, but there were a lot of Peverell properties that Harry thought were quite nice. He did understood the draw to that particular property seeing as it was the same one he had chosen to move in to after the war. It was small by magical standards having only three bedrooms, a small sitting room, and a kitchen but it had a certain homey quality that he couldn't find anywhere else. 

It was still ungodly early in the morning but Harry decided he ought to meet with Snape to pass on the information about Sirius and Remus. He used his ring to ask to meet in his office as soon as possible, but not urgently, he wanted to at least give the man some time to wake up first.

Harry headed towards Snape's office and let himself in settling down in the chair and working on charming extra rings for their new additions. He decided to design them similar to what he had done for Susan, a simple golden band with a gemstone to reflect their house colour. Harry was so lost in casting the charms that he almost didn't notice the door opening, he looked up from his work as Snape walked in with his bed head still in tact and his robes all ruffled. Snape finally noticed Harry waiting for him inside and paused, looking between Harry and the office door.

"How did you get in here?" He asked.

"No door in Hogwarts is locked to me." Harry replied.

Snape sighed, "Whatever, its too early for this. What did you need?"

"I didn’t expect you to be such a grump in the morning." Harry said teasing the man. 

Snape just glared at him while summoning a cup of coffee. "This is me being pleasant."

Harry chuckled, "Right. I have some updates from Argos about your classmates, let me know when you're awake enough to talk."

Snape just grunted taking a sip from his mug while Harry returned to his work. After only a couple minutes Snape had finished his mug and summoned a refill.

"I'm awake now." he said getting Harry's attention.

"I have the location of the property Remus picked out and received confirmation that Sirius will be released on Friday morning."

Snape sighed, "What is your schedule today?"

"All heads today."

"Alright, I'm off after lunch so we can make a house call then."

"Sounds good, I'll let Professor Sprout know I'll be absent and meet you back here then."

~

Harry spent most of his morning classes thinking about what wards he wanted to set up on the property. It was pretty well protected already but housing a werewolf on an experimental potion and an ex convict recovering from a decade of dementor abuse he wanted some extra precautions in place. After grabbing a sandwich from the great hall for lunch he made his way back to Snape's office and together they took the floo to his house before apparating to the Potter's, now Remus's, residence.

They walked up the steps and Remus was already there opening the door before Snape even had a chance to knock.

"Can we help you move anything in?" Snape asked as they entered.

"That’s very kind of you, but I can manage on my own." Remus replied. Harry eyed the two suitcases by front door then looked to Remus who looked slightly embarrassed. "Like I said, I can manage."

The three of them stood in awkward silence in the entry way for a moment until Harry decided to break it, "Shall we head to the living room?" he asked.

"Yes, of course. Sorry I'm not really sure if I should be inviting you in or vice versa." Remus said clearly anxious about the whole situation.

"I'm not really hung up on proper social etiquette, do whatever feels best." Harry replied as the three of them made their way to the sitting area. It was exactly as Harry remembered from when he had first moved in; an ornate fireplace was built into the far wall surrounded by bookshelves that overflowed onto the floor, two couches sat facing the fireplace with a hardwood table in between them and a selection of chairs with bronze embellishments from the 1800's.

Once they had all settled into a seat Harry continued, "I'm sure you'd prefer my visit to be as short as possible so I hope you'll excuse the unconventional conversation. I have confirmation that Sirius Black will be released on Friday morning and escorted here by Amelia Bones; the head of the justice department."

"That soon?" Remus asked.

Harry nodded, "Everything is settled."

Remus took a deep breath, "Alright then. Should I do anything specific prior to his arrival?"

"Myself or Miss Bones will arrange for everything he will need. Speaking of which, would you mind if I adjusted the wards slightly? I'd like to update the protections on the property."

"Can I ask what changes you intent to make?" He asked.

Harry nodded, "I want to add restrictions to who can enter the residence as well as add an alert system for anyone attempting to enter or locate the property without prior consent."

Remus listened intently "Who would have access?" he asked.

"You, Lord Black, Severus, Amelia Bones, myself, and a colleague of mine."

"A colleague?"

"She is a skilled healer, I'd like her to check on Lord Black's condition. If it makes you more comfortable I can have her meet with you before including her in the wards."

"Please." Remus replied.

"Do you have any additional concerns?" Harry asked.

Remus thought for a moment, looking between Harry, Severus, and the fire in front of them. "Severus insists I can trust you," He began letting out a sigh, "but you're both Slytherins and I know your kindness comes with strings. I don't know what your motivations are and as such I am a little skeptical about this whole situation."

"That’s fair I suppose, though I'd appreciate you not stereotype by house quite so much. I am just as much a Gryffindor as I am a Slytherin." Snape put his head in his hands while Remus stared at Harry who just shrugged. "I don't expect your trust and I don't need it. Our relationship at the moment is purely transactional, I supplied you with the potion and a place to live, you oversee Lord Black's recovery."

"Will you at least tell me why you're so insistent on having him released?" Remus asked.

"No." Harry said sternly, "I can only promise that I do not intent to harm either of you."

Remus watched him intently as he spoke, "You know my senses are pretty unique, even as far as werewolves go; and you smell like death and deception."

Harry laughed, "I'm sure I do." Remus looked at a loss for words, eyes flicking between Harry and Snape not sure where to go from there. "I would like to visit you both once Lord Black has had a chance to settle in, would you please send a message to Severus when you think it would be appropriate?"

After a long moment of silence Severus replied instead, "I will arrange a time."

"Thank you Severus." Harry said standing up and smoothing out his robes, "I'll see myself out now. Remus, I look forward to seeing you again."

Remus looked up in confusion, "Weren't you going to adjust the wards?"

"I did." Harry said and when met with greater confusion explained, "While we were talking."

Remus just stared with his jaw open as Harry gave a wave to the two of them and headed back to Hogwarts.

Draco

Draco was just on his way to lunch when he noticed a messy head of bright red hair bounding through the crowd in his direction. Ron Weasley was running from something, he kept checking over his shoulder and weaving between other students. When Ron caught sight of Draco he released a bit of tension in shoulders and bolted in his direction, catching himself only just in time to not throw them both to the ground.

"Malfoy." He said trying to catch his breath.

"Weasley." Draco replied unsure where this interaction was going to lead. "You alright?"

Ron shook his head looking over his shoulder again. "Hide me." He whispered, "Please."

Draco looked in the direction he had come from but didn't notice anything off. Even so, if Ron Weasley was asking him of all people for help he must be pretty desperate. Draco pulled him towards one of the alcoves and cast several strong concealment charms on the boy. He also decided to try out an experiment of sorts; using Slytherin's magic he urged the castle walls to open up and create a small hiding spot. To his surprise it actually worked, the wall opened up and without even questioning it Ron scampered in to the new space.

Draco took a step back to examine the wall, even knowing it was there he couldn't see it. As soon as he turned around he saw Dumbledore approaching with actual concern on his face. He noticed Draco and casually strolled over to him.

"Mr. Malfoy." he said in greeting.

"Headmaster." Draco returned.

"Please just call me Dumbledore." He replied. Draco said nothing and after a moment Dumbledore continued, "I hope you are enjoying your first year at Hogwarts so far, Snape tells me you are excelling in potions."

Draco puffed his chest out in pride like he would have hearing that when he was eleven. "Thank you Sir, Potions is my favourite subject."

"I'm sure your relationship to Professor Snape plays a role there." He chuckled.

"Despite what many believe, Professor Snape was not interested in tutoring me prior to enrolling in Hogwarts."

"Yes of course, he is quite a busy person. Well regardless I'll be expecting grand things from you. If you can keep up with the subject that is."

Draco gave him a slight glare but kept up his posturing, "I intend to claim top of the class for my career here at Hogwarts."

"Well the sorting hat certainly placed you in the right house." as he spoke Draco could feel him trying to cast a compulsion on him. He let it in just enough so he wouldn't question the shields but quickly dispelled it. He wasn't able to tell what exactly he was trying to do but he had a pretty good guess.

"I'm just glad it's not Gryffindor" He replied.

Dumbledore smiled, a bit too much, but quickly tampered it. "Speaking of which, I was just on my way to have a chat with young Mr. Weasley, did you happen to see him come this way?

"I think I saw him heading past" Draco said, "Can't be sure though."

"I see. Thank you Mr. Malfoy." He said as he walked away.

Draco waited until he was long past before ducking into the hiding spot next to Ron. "You alright?" he asked again.

Draco could see Ron struggling to fight back tears but a few still fell regardless. "I've been practicing that mind thing with 'Mione." he began, "I'm not very good yet but I felt something at lunch and couldn't block it. I got scared and started to leave but Dumbledore started following me." His breath caught in a chocked back sob before continuing, "Do you think he did anything?"

"I'm not a legilems so I can't say for sure, but considering you willingly came to me for help I don't think he was able to do much." Ron let out a breath of relief. "You should still have Snape check when he gets back though."

"Okay." Ron nodded. "You all were serious about everything, weren't you?"

Draco smiled tensely "I really wish we weren't."

"What are you going to do?"

Draco laughed, "I wish we knew that too." He paused, "Actually, do you want to help us with something?"

"What?" Ron asked.

"Dumbledore wants Slytherins and Gryffindors to fight so that’s what we're going to try next." Ron watched him curiously but didn't seem to gather the implied question so Draco asked, "Would you like to be my rival?"

Ron laughed like it was a joke then again in disbelief when he saw Draco's face, "You're serious?"

Draco nodded, "I'm fairly confident its in our blood actually."

"Yeah I suppose so, but you want us to be enemies?"

"Just for show" he said then mumbled, "as much as it surprises me to say."

Ron smiled, "We didn't get along in your last time, did we?"

"Not in the slightest." Draco replied. "I'll admit I could be a bit of an arse but you…" he paused trying to think of what to tell him before settling on, "for someone claiming I was pretentious you were just as bad."

Ron listened intently, "What was I like when I grew up?"

"I'm not sure I'm the one you want an answer from."

"Neville just keeps telling me that I was brave or whatever, but that’s such a cop out." Ron pouted crossing his arms.

Draco thought about it, this was the longest conversation he had ever had the Weasley boy, despite all their history he was starting to realize he really didn't know him that well at all.

"Neville's right, you were brave." He said thinking back to the battle and all the stories Harry had told him since they got here, "You were very loyal and defensive of your friends, but you had quite the temper too, it was always so easy to get a reaction out of you."

"Did we fight a lot?"

"Every chance we got."

Ron nodded and thought for a moment before asking "Only when people are watching?"

Draco nodded, "No need to act around people who know the truth."

Ron smiled, "Could be fun."

"Rivals?" Draco asked holding out his hand for a shake.

"Rivals." Ron agreed shaking his hand.

Neville

Neville stood outside Olivanders wand shop in Diagon Alley. The old wizard had mentioned that he should come ask questions when the time was right and Neville couldn't shake the feeling that the time had already passed. He opened the door entering as a chime sounded throughout the store.

"Ah Mr. Longbottom" Olivander said coming out from the back carrying a stack of boxes. "Or would you prefer Lord Gryffindor now?" Neville stilled looking around to make sure no one else was around. "I have wards set up" Olivander said placing the stack down on the counter. "But please set your own if it would make you more comfortable"

Neville set Hannah's ward on the room and then turned to Olivander with a sly smile, "So you knew?"

"Not entirely." He said brushing his hands off on his robes, "I had my suspicions which were all but confirmed when Gryffindors wand chose you in such a display."

"How did you even have his wand?" Neville asked. Olivander transfigured a couple of seats for them and gestured for Neville to sit down as he magically flipped his store sign to read 'closed'.

"Family heirloom." he said winking. "A long, long ways down the line of course." he continued waving his hand and taking a seat.

"So what history did you want to share when the time was right? Is the time right?"

Olivander smiled, "Just leaving you a clue in case you needed it, I can see you know far more than I do now."

"Do you know what happened?"

"No, and I don't know need you to explain it all." He said, "I have my suspicions but I have no need for details, you four are still waiting for someone yes?"

"How do you know all that?"

"A young wizard with two fully developed magical cores is something one ought to take notice of." He replied. When Neville just stared at him to elaborate he continued. "I'm not quite a seer but I do have an eye for identifying a wizards core." he said tapping his forehead, "its how I know which wands are likely to suit you."

"Do you know many people with this ability?"

"No it's quite rare, the last witch I knew who could died a few years back."

"I see. And what about us waiting for someone?"

"That's just a feeling."

Neville laughed, "Any other feelings you'd like to share with me."

Olivander smiled, "You have many burdens but I don't see any your group can't handle. You make quite the formidable, albeit unconventional team."

"Would you like to elaborate on any of that?"

Olivander shook his head, "Nope. You came for something else yes?"

Neville was starting to wonder is Olivander was somehow related to Luna. "I was wondering if you'd be able to locate the other founders wands." He said.

Olivander sighed, "I would help you if I could but no one even knows what those wands look like."

Neville smiled, "I do." he summoned a copy of the journal page that had detailed drawings of each wand and its properties.

"Incredible." Ollivander breathed out as he took the page running his finger along the ink lines. "The details are outstanding, where on earth did you find this?"

"The founders left us a secret library within Hogwarts."

"May I?" Ollivander asked gesturing to the page.

"It's yours, I trust you to be discrete with it."

"Of course, no eyes but mine. I will see what I can find but in all honesty they are likely in the family vaults and it will be nearly impossible to access those unfortunately."

"We have access." Neville said which shocked Olivander.

"What do you mean?"

"Harry has a friend at the bank, he set us up with inheritance tests which give us authority over the contents of the vault."

"Have you checked there?"

Neville scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, "No, I guess I should have started there huh?"

Olivander smiled, "I'm sure you've been busy." He said taking another look at the page. "If they are not there I will look for them but they will not be easy to acquire. Regardless if people know their origin ancient wands like these do not come cheap."

"We have the savings of ten ancient houses at our disposal. I don't think money will be an issue."

Olivander laughed.

Hannah

Hannah and the other travelers were gathered in Snapes office for 'detention' discussing their new non-stealth plan. Hannah was worried about it, but she understood how the idea came to be and couldn't argue its potential. However, the gamble of it was terrifying. If they were wrong about this they'd be drawing so much attention to themselves that would surely out their secrets if they weren't careful.

So far they had brought in Ron, Hermione, Theo, and Blaise into the plan to cause a scene in the great hall. Hannah and Susan would stay out of the public feud but would always be around when they had something planned in case anything went sideways. 

"He'll be here soon." Snape said interrupting their planning.

They were waiting to meet with Hagrid since, according to Myrtle, he was close with Tom Riddle when they were students and might know something. Hannah was doubtful he would have any insight for them seeing as he probably had whatever memory block Dumbledore had been giving people, but she agreed it was a point worth exploring. 

There was a knock on the door and Hagrid entered carrying a sack full of herbs from the forbidden forest. "Severus." He said handing off the bag to the professor and wiping his hands on his coat, "'Arry." He said giving a nod to Harry then took in the rest of them. "Yeh must be 'Arry's friends then eh?"

Hannah smiled as Harry introduced them each to the giant. Snape had already warned him they would have some questions for him so he simply greeted everyone then sat down across from Harry and looked to him in anticipation.

"We were hoping you could tell what you remember from your time being a student here." Harry said.

Hagrid narrowed his eyes, "You mean wha' I remember about Tom Riddle?"

Harry blanched slightly but simply said "Yes." 

"Wha' for?"

"We're trying to find the truth." Draco answered, "We have to choose if we want to kill him or save him."

"Kill 'em? He's already dead ain' he?."

"Only mostly dead." Harry said. "He'll be back."

Hagrid's face went through a range of emotions that Hannah could not pinpoint, mostly fear and worry but there was something else there too. 

"If Voldemort is going to come back you ought to kill 'em." he said shaking head.

"He wouldn't be Voldemort yet, just a teenage Tom Riddle." Neville said.

Hagrid looked exasperated. "Please Hagrid." Hannah said, "You're the only one we know besides Dumbledore who maybe knew him back then." 

Hagrid sighed, "'He was a smart kid, very charismatic. I really didn't know him well."

"Myrtle mentioned you two were close." Draco said. 

"Close?" Hagrid laughed, "We had classes sure, but I never spoke to the bloke until his snake killed tha' poor girl."

"You never spoke?" Harry asked.

Hagrid shook his head, "Not tha' I recall."

"Then how did he know about Aragog?"

"He-" Hagrid began but paused, "Tha' I don' know."

Harry turned to Snape, "You haven't found any compulsions or memory spells since you've been practicing with him?"

"Not that I can identify." He said sharing a look with Hannah.

Hannah sighed, "Would you allow to me to take a look?" she asked Hagrid. "I seem to be able to find hidden shields, though I'm not super practiced."

Hannah had spoken to Hufflepuff briefly about using her legilimancy but she didn’t learn much that she didn't already know. Hufflepuff had never experienced what Hannah described but seemed to agree it likely had something to do with their Headmaster.  She had also learned it was possible to bring someone into the mind realm with her but it was even more dangerous than legilimancy already was, she couldn't think of any reason why she'd even want to try that.

Hagrid shared a look with Snape and Harry then looked back at Hannah. "Wha' d'ya need from me?"

"Just let me in and we'll go from there."

Hagrid nodded, "Go ahead."

Hannah readied herself then looked to Hagrid and slipped inside his mind. The feeling of vertigo was getting better but she was still a little disoriented entering a mind. Hagrid's head was much more chaotic than Snapes, she had to dodge what appeared to be flying debris a couple of times and the visions around her changed rapidly. She didn't realize just how much control Snape had over his mind in comparison to other people.

Hannah watched for the dim light she had seen in Snape as memories flashed in and out. She thought she saw it a couple times but never enough to make out for sure. "Try to focus on a memory from school." She said out loud, "I think I see it in some of those memories."

Hagrid's mind stilled as he focused on a charms class, Hannah didn't recognize any of the students or the professor but the room and uniforms were all too familiar. To her surprise the class seemed to be made up of students from all four houses and everyone was mixed up together, quite the contrast to what she had grown used to at school. She tried to look beside her but something seemed to be preventing her, she tried to focus on it and recognized the familiar dark light. It was much dimmer than it had been in Snapes mind and harder to focus on, it felt like that part of Hagrid's memory was completely behind some kind of shield.

She reached out to the obstruction with her magic and again found herself pulled into a dark murky memory and felt like she was almost floating in water. This shield or memory was much more solid than Snapes had been. She could feel Hagrid's mind racing outside of the memory she was in and felt a prickle of pain run through her.

"I'm still here." Hannah said out loud, "I found something, please stay focused on your charms class." Hagrid squeezed her hand in confirmation and she felt his mind calm and the pain go away.

Hannah took a deep breath and reached out to the barrier around her. Everything was harder to make out but she tried to hold on as long as she could to get a read on the situation. Much like with Snape she was filled with a sense of fear and anger but there was also a sadness and longing here. She could barely make out a silhouette of someone standing over her and then lots of pain. She jerked out of his mind gasping as she opened her eyes hoping she hadn't hurt him.

In front of her Hagrid had tears in his eyes as he stared off into the distance with a look of absolute loss on his face.

"Hagrid?" Neville asked tentatively. Him and the others all shared a look of shock.

"What happened?" Hannah asked. "Are you okay?"

"I remembered." He said slowly, "But its gone now."

Hannah looked to the others confused.

Draco turned to her "Did you not hear him?"

"No" Hannah said shaking her head, "What did he say?"

"He started crying." Draco explained, "He called out to Tom and then started begging, saying he didn't want to forget."

Hagrid was still crying whispering to himself "I don't remember."

Chapter Text

Hannah

After they made sure Hagrid was okay and not damaged from her trip in his mind they all left him in Snape's care to get him safely to his bed. The boys went to find Ron and Theo to discuss their rivalry plan while Hannah made her way to the secret library. She scoured the library for anything she could find about memory altering magic but couldn't find anything she hadn't already looked into.

She sat down on the couch by the portraits with a journal of her own, writing down everything she could remember from her experience. The feeling of the shields in both Snape and Hagrid were very similar to each other but they had their differences; Hagrid's was much darker and harder to find, perhaps simply older than Snape's. She had managed to hold on to Hagrid's for longer which seemed to give him some recollection of a lost memory but it faded again as soon as she let go. She scribbled furiously as her mind raced through thoughts and possible theories.

"Hannah dear?" A voice said from above her. Hannah looked up to see McGonagall standing over her.

"Professor" Hannah said sitting up and stretching her cramped fingers. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to chat with the founders, I find them to be quite good company." McGonagall replied. "What are you doing here so late?"

Hannah blinked blearily and cast a tempus charm showing that it was already 11pm, she had spent hours up here already. "Oh" Hannah breathed in shock, "I was just…" she trailed off gesturing at the journal.

"May I?" McGonagall asked and Hannah nodded. McGonagall flipped through her notes and theories. "This is some quite interesting research."

"Would be more fun if it wasn't quite as pressing."

McGonagall laughed, "That is true for many challenges." she said.

Hannah smiled, "I just don't understand any of it."

"Seems to me like you understand a lot of it." McGonagall replied. Hannah was about to protest but McGonagall continued, "You've ran two experiments so far, that is not enough to draw any conclusions from, you simply need to gather more information." Hannah sighed taking the journal back from McGonagall closing it on her lap. "That scares you?" McGonagall asked.

"Yeah." Hannah said.

"Why?"

Hannah furrowed her eyebrows looking up to McGonagall like it was obvious. "It's an invasion of privacy and its dangerous" she said in exasperation.

"Is it?"

"What?"

"If the people you are looking at have given you full consent to look, is that an invasion of their privacy?"

"I- No- but if I see something they don't want-"

"Would you share what you saw with anyone if you thought they'd want it to be kept private?''

"Of course not."

"Then I fail to see the issue." Hannah was silent. "As for the danger," McGonagall continued, "even casting a simple Lumos charm is dangerous if you're not careful. Just look out how Mr. Finnigan's spells turn out."

Hannah laughed, "That only gets worse."

McGonagall closed her eyes tilting her head to the ceiling, "Merlin help me." She whispered to herself then focused back on Hannah. "If you backed away from every dangerous situation I don't believe Hufflepuff's magic would have chosen you. Do you?"

Hannah leaned back against the chair looking up at the portraits who were watching their conversation. The portrait of Helga Hufflepuff smiled down at her giving her a slight headshake. Hannah sighed closing her eyes.

"I'm not saying to be reckless of course." McGonagall continued. "Use your fear of the danger to be cautious, but don't let it stop you."

Hannah opened her eyes looking at McGonagall. "You are such a Gryffindor." She said smiling

McGonagall smiled back "You my dear are a very talented and meticulous witch. I have no doubt that you can do this."

"Thank you Professor." Hannah said, "What do I do now?"

"Well my suggestion is to practice with Severus." She began, "He will be able to detail his experience of the experiments for you. However, I would recommend you wait a few days, he'll be a little out of sorts for a while after his reunion with Sirius Black."

"Out of sorts?" Hannah questioned.

"Those three have a lot of feelings to work through." McGonagall said, "Now, I'm sure Pomona and Susan are both quite worried about you, so off to bed with you."

Draco

Everything was set, everyone knew their roles, this was either going to work or everything would fall apart in seconds.

Draco sat at the Slytherin table in the great hall with the other first years, Harry would be joining them soon and then everything would change.

Over at the Gryffindor table Neville was deep in conversation with Ron and Hermione, talking about classes or something just as mundane. Hannah sat with the Hufflepuff first years, she was on retainer in case they all fucked up; it was up to her to cover their asses.

Harry walked into the great hall with the kind of magnetism he used to have, drawing everyone's attention, he sat beside Draco with a clear view of Ron at the Gryffindor table. Harry nodded to his old friend and Draco felt Harry's hand twitch at their side. Across the room Neville's hair started to stand up as if he was upside down. He looked around in confusion as his tie started to do the same, within moments he was beginning to float off the bench and every student in the hall was watching him. Ron had to hold him down as Hermione flipped through a book and frantically cast something that reversed the spell.

Draco and Harry for their part sat calmly at the Slytherin table snickering to each other, several other students from various houses were also laughing at his expense. Neville turned and glared daggers at the two of them but just as quickly turned back around to his dinner; which promptly blew up in his face.

Neville threw his fists down on the table and stormed their way to confront them.  "What are you doing?" He demanded with mash potatoes covering his face.

"Having dinner." Harry said, "Why are you wearing it?"

Neville's face turned red as he wiped away some of the potatoes but just as much remained on his face and all over his uniform.

"Stop it."

"Stop what? Eating?" 

"No!" Neville shouted, "You know what."

"Can't say that I do." Harry shrugged then turned to Draco, "I think I've lost my appetite." he said standing up.

"I thought we were friends!" Neville shouted after him.

Harry stilled and turned to face Neville with a calm expression. "Slytherins are not friends with Gryffindors."

Neville gawked at him then crossed his arms over his chest "Fine." he said, "I don’t want to be your friend anyways. Don't come crying to me when your snakes get tired of hearing you cry about your dead parents all the time."

Harry scoffed raising his chin, "Look who's talking."

Neville roared and punched Harry right in the face. Harry stumbled back his hand flying up to protect his face, he glared at Neville and went to reach for his wand but Neville pounced at him again. All around them students got up to either watch or try to pull them apart.

"What is the meaning of this." McGonagall's booming voice pushed through the crowd. She cast a spell that separated the two boys but they remained glaring daggers at each other.

"He started it!" Neville shouted pointing at Harry.

"I was minding my own business." Harry retorts, "You're the one who started insulting me."

"Enough!" McGonagall shouted, "50 points from both of you."

"Professor that’s not fair!" Hermione shouted from across the hall, "It really wasn't Neville's fault-"

"Sit down Miss Granger, unless you want to lose another 10 points for Gryffindor?" McGonagall said interrupting her.Hermione grumbled and sat back down. "You two have earned yourself a weeks worth of detention starting now. Off you go."

The hall slowly settled back into its usual cadence but Draco could make out several whispered conversations about the display. Draco snuck a look up at Dumbledore at the teachers table, he had never seen the man more pleased than he did in that moment.

Their display wasn't over yet though, Draco and Theo got up to leave and were followed out of the hall by Ron and Hermione.

"This is isn't over" Ron said coming up to them, they were still within earshot of the hall.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Draco said.

Ron scoffed, "You won't get away with it."

Draco hummed, "Ah yes, a hand me down weasel and a mudblood. I'm truly shaking in my boots."

Ron lunged at him but was held back by Hermione.

"You better watch your temper, I don't think Gryffindor can afford to loose more points right now." Draco said.

"Come on Draco." Theo said from beside him, "We gain nothing from engaging in their delusions."

"Agreed." Draco said as the two of them walked away leaving the Gryffindors fuming behind them.

Neville

Harry and Neville made their way to the Room of Requirement for their 'detention' to meet up with the others. They entered to the usual sitting area the room supplied for them.

As soon as they were inside Neville turned to Harry, "I'm sorry for the parents comment, that was a low blow."

Harry laughed, "What are you talking about, that was brilliant! You've got one hell of an arm Nev."

Neville laughed too, "I think I hurt myself more than you."

"You two are going to be such a handful now." McGonagall sighed.

"That's not new." Neville said smiling at her.

"I think it worked at least." Harry said.

"Oh it worked." Draco said walking into the room with Theo at his side. "I've never seen Dumbledore happier."

"That was amazing!" Theo said, 'Are you alright Harry?"

"I'm great." Harry said, "I'm sorry all this means you're kind of stuck with just us now."

Theo shrugged, "My mom warned me if I was in Slytherin people probably wouldn’t like me." he began, "Besides I can still have friends in here."

It wasn't long before everyone was gathered in the room, Neville realized just how big their group was getting. There were the four of them, all the house heads, Susan, Theo, Blaise, Ron, and Hermione. Not to mention those that were absent including Professor Binns, Amelia Bones, and the twins who were waiting on Neville after Snape had begrudgingly admitted their occlumency shields were some of the best he'd ever seen.

"I'm really sorry about the mudblood comment." Draco said to Hermione, "It kind of just slipped out."

"What does it mean?" Hermione asked.

"It's a pretty mean term." Hannah began explaining, "It basically means that your 'unpure'" she said in air quotes, "being muggle born." Hermione's face went bright red and she looked to Draco like she wanted to either cry or punch him; probably both.

"I don’t think that anymore." Draco said.

"But you used to?" she asked with a hitch in her voice.

"It's what I was taught." He said, "I've learned otherwise." Hermione smiled tightly giving him a shallow nod. Ron, who was sitting beside her, gave her a fierce hug and she seemed to calm down a little.

"How did the other Slytherins react?" Harry asked Blaise.

Blaise just shrugged, "Hard to say, confusion mostly, it was quite the switch up from what you've been trying to preach to them up till now."

Harry sighed, "Yeah, do you think they'll corner us with questions?"

"Undoubtedly. I give it by the end of the year max." Draco adopted his signature pose with his head in his hands. 

"This may be a bit crass." Sprout began getting everyone attention, "But children are most adaptable to new information. It's quite likely that most, if not all of the students currently enrolled would believe and want to help you."

Harry shook his head, "I can't do that again." Harry said, "They shouldn't have to fight."

"Neither should you." Sprout rebuffed, "These kids have already been forced to pick a side, whether they know it yet or not. Our society has been run by Dark versus Light for so long that balance is a foreign concept. Offer that and I think you'll be surprised how much support you'll receive."

"But it's still so dangerous."

"Would that stop you from wanting to be informed?" She pressed, Harry was silent. "You must still be careful of course, but do not discount your classmates so much. You were once in their shoes."

Everyone one remained silent for along moment as they took in that perspective. Eventually Neville broke the tension, "Susan." He said getting the girls attention, "Why don't you show the others the library?"

Theo and Hermione both perked up at the mention of a library as Blaise and Ron both laughed at their predictability but seemed just as intrigued at the prospect of exploring a secret library.

"You just want us out of the way for your adult conversations." Susan pouted.

"On the contrary." Harry said, "I think Theo will actually explode if he spends another second without a book in his hands."

Theo shoved Harry but Neville saw the small smile on his face. Hannah gave the others her blessing to enter the secret library and they all watched for a moment as the first years entered the room looking around in delight like kids in a candy shop.

Harry

The next morning Harry stood by the floo in Snape's office trying to prepare himself for the first meeting with his godfather in this timeline. He would be meeting him as the mysterious Lord Peverell so he really wasn't sure what to expect. In the past Sirius could be pretty aggressive towards people he didn’t know or trust, and Lord Peverell certainly fit that category, especially if Remus explained the situation to him.

Snape had gone ahead to give the two men a heads up that he'd be arriving at any moment. Harry took a deep breath and stepped into the fireplace transporting himself to the familiar home. When he stepped out Snape was sitting in the living room nursing a tall glass of fire whiskey.

"That bad?" Harry said in greeting.

Snape just shrugged his shoulders, "Remus and I get along fine. Sirius on the other hand… let's just say he wasn't thrilled to see me."

"Any advice?" Harry asked looking down the hallway to the room the two school friends were awaiting him. 

"Keep your shields up."

Harry smiled, "Always."

He breathed a sigh before beginning the short walk to the bedroom. He stood in front of the door that was once his and gave a gentle knock. The door opened and Harry entered to see Sirius Black sitting up in the bed supported by a large collection of pillows. He looked even worse than the first time Harry had seen him in the past. His hair was a mess and his eyes were bloodshot and bruised, he looked far too slim and pale with chapped lips and a sullen face. Remus sat in a chair at his bedside looking like he had spent the last few days crying instead of sleeping.

Harry took in the scene as Sirius judged him in turn. "Lord Black." Harry said in greeting. "I am Lord Peverell."

"So I've heard." Sirius replied.

"I trust you are settling in alright?"

 Sirius narrowed his eyes and looked between Remus and Harry. "Why do you have Black Family magic?"

Remus stood up in shock looking between Harry and Sirius but Harry just ignored him for now. He wasn't expecting Sirius to recognize that he was an heir to house of Black but it made sense in a way. Harry remained silent not sure how to address the problem.

Sirius not willing to play a waiting game continued, "Who are you?"

"Like I said-" Before Harry could finish his statement Sirius pulled out a wand and shot a stunner at him. Harry felt like he was watching it happen in slow motion, there were so many things he could have done to stop the spell from hitting him or even from going off in the first place but he just let the spell hit him and be absorbed into his shields like it was nothing.

Sirius stared with wide eyes and began to cast again as Remus reached for his wand to do the same. Harry sighed stopping them both in an instant; Sirius slumped back against the bed completely immobile as Harry called both of their wands to him catching them with one hand never once reaching for his own wand.

Remus remained standing frozen in shock caught between wanting to attack again and wanting to run. "That's quite enough of that." Harry said placing the wands on a dresser next to him. He walked towards the chair on the opposite side of the bed to Remus, pulled it away from the bed and sat down. He looked up to Remus who was still standing now eyeing the wands Harry left on the dresser.

"Sit down Lupin." Harry said, his frustration making it come off more like a command than a request. Remus hesitated but did not make a move to sit. "I will not ask you again" Harry continued sparing a glance at Sirius who was still sitting slumped against the bed only able to move his eyes.

Remus swallowed hard and slowly sat down.

Harry inhaled deeply trying to ground himself. "It is very important to me that both you are able to recover from your ailments." He began, "However, if that is truly against your wishes it will be easy for me to relinquish my support."

"I'm sorry" Remus said quietly staring at his feet.

"I have a lot of patience." Harry said, "Do not test it again. I understand you both have questions but I can not share any of my secrets with you until you have had time to recover."

Harry looked between both men who either couldn't or wouldn't make eye contact with him. He rolled his eyes and released Sirius from his charm.

Sirius spoke immediately "Where is Harry Potter." Harry just stared at him trying to stop the smirk he felt forming. "My godson." Sirius continued when it was obvious Harry was not going to reply. "I will only submit to your healing if I know he is okay."

"He is." Harry said.

"Not good enough." Sirius said, "I want to see him."

"Not possible."

Sirius narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, "I want to see him."

"And say what? 'Hey kid you don’t know me but I was friends with your dead father'?"

Sirius gawked at him and Remus cut in, "Harry doesn’t know us?"

"How would he?" Harry retorted.

"I need to know he's okay." Sirius said with a hint of desperation in the anger.

"I really can't bring him here." Harry said.

"Then think of something else Mr. Secrets. I'm sure you can come up with some arrangement."

"I'll discuss possible options with my colleagues." Harry said. The three of them sat in silence for a moment before Harry continued standing up from his seat, "I can see this conversation has run its course, I will leave you both to confer and rest. Goodbye."

"Whoever you really are," Sirius said as Harry approached the door, "I will never trust you."

Harry smiled and turned back to him "You'd be surprised what the future can hold."

Harry left the room closing the door behind him, instantly he heard Remus walk across the room and felt heavy wards settle on the room. He made his way back to the living room taking a seat next to Severus who immediately passed him a full glass of fire whiskey.

Harry let out a quiet laugh taking the cup from Severus and a large sip.

"How did it go?" Severus asked after taking another sip himself.

"Honestly not terrible all things considered, though I think I scared them both." Harry took another sip, "Sirius could tell I had Black family magic and he wants proof that Harry Potter is alive and well."

Snape snorted a laugh, "What are you going to do?"

Harry smiled and shrugged, "No clue." Snape held up his glass to cheers and Harry obliged.

~

Harry had spent the rest of the day touring some of the properties on the list Argos had given him. He had already found the place he was sure he was going to end up using; he absolutely loved it. Hidden within a small forested area with towering oak trees and a shallow river nearby, it once belonged to Hufflepuff. It was much larger than he was used to but far from the mansions most Lord's occupied. It had a large library, dueling practice room, and a large cozy meeting space.

When he arrived to the last property on his list, an old Peverell property, he was immediately greeted by a young looking house elf.

"Good evening Master Peverell" the elf said looking frazzled.

"Hello" Harry said in greeting to him, "I won't be long, I just wanted to tour the property if that’s alright?"

"Of course Master Peverell, I can show you around." The elf said. Harry could just about make out a look of fear in his eyes but assumed he was just unprepared for a visitor.

"I don't want to trouble you, I'll just take a quick look around then get out of your way."

"As you desire Master." The elf said and popped away.

Harry let himself in and began to walk around; the house had a beautiful living room warmed by a blazing fire, the kitchen was fully stocked, and everything was impeccably clean and well cared for.  

He was checking out one of the bedrooms upstairs when he heard a crash coming from the room next to him. He quickly came over to check that everything was okay. When he opened the door he was shocked to find the room was occupied by a series of bunkbeds and the floor was littered with children's toys.

"Please excuse the mess Master." The elf said immediately after popping into the room right in front of Harry. "It has been a long time since we've had a Master and we were regrettably unprepared for your arrival." Harry just looked into the room and was impressed by the ingenuity of it all. The elf frantically continued, "I will have the room cleaned as quickly as possible." Harry turned a confused look to the elf who upon seeing him panicked and went to his knees. "I will take whatever punishment you deem worthy of this insolence just please spare my children, they are good hard workers and will serve you well."

"Woah woah woah" Harry said dropping to his knees to be on level with the elf, "Slow down I don't want to punish you."

The elf looked up with even more fear "I understand." The elf said resigned, "Would you allow me to gather some of my things before my banishment?"

Harry's jaw dropped "No." He said and the elf looked crestfallen, "No I mean, yes but I'm not-" He huffed. "Hold on, can we just start again please. My name is Harry Potter." He said holding his hand out for the elf to shake, "What is your name?"

"My name is Scooter, Master."

"Scooter" Harry repeated, "It is a pleasure to meet you." Scooter hesitantly took Harry's offered hand and shook it.

"I would like for you and your family to remain employed here if that is what you wish."

"Yes Master, thank you for your mercy. I will have the room cleared for you by tomorrow."

Harry shook his head, "That really isn't necessary, I do not need to occupy this room."

"I must insist, it is not proper for the room to be in such a state and I most graciously apologize for my lack of upkeep on the property."

"But you sleep there do you not?"

Scooter began to shake again in fear, "Yes Master."

"Where will you go if you clear the room?"

"To our room Master."

"Your room?" Harry asked and the elf nodded, "Would you show me please?"

Scooter lead Harry through twists and turns and small passages until they made it to a tiny cramped room with straw beds covered in cobwebs, it was hardly any bigger than his closet under the stairs. There was no window and no where Harry could see to even place a candle for any kind of light. The room was crowded with the rest of the house elves huddled together in a corner. One small elf was clutching a handmade doll as she stared wide eyed at Harry, an elder elf noticed pulling her away from his view.

"No." He said to himself staring at the room in shock. Scooter looked up at him confused. "I forbid you from ever moving back into this shit hole." Harry said, "You are to take whatever actions are necessary to make you and your family more comfortable. Am I understood?"

"Yes Master." Scooter said clearly confused.

"That goes for all of you." He said into the room, "I don't want anyone sleeping in here again, please return to your room upstairs." One by one the elves vanished with a pop until Harry was left standing in the room with Scooter at his side.

"Is this normal?" He asked gesturing to the room.

"No Master," Scooter said. Harry felt relieved for a moment before his hope was swiftly crushed as Scooter continued; "We are very gracious elves to be given accommodations like this."

Harry sighed, "I'm so sorry."

"There is no need to apologize Master."

"How long has it been since someone lived here?"

"143 years Master."

"Why didn't you leave?"

"We cannot. We are each bound to the Peverell family magic, without it we cannot use our magic, and an elf without his magic does not live long."

Harry took a deep breath, "Do you know of any elves currently seeking employment?"

"Yes Master."

"I give you full access to the money in the Peverell vault to hire as many elves as you can find."

"As you wish Master." They sat in silence for a moment, "Will that be all?" Scooter asked.

"Yes, thank you Scooter." The elf popped away after giving Harry an assessing look.

Harry remained in the room by himself for a minute, tears falling freely from his eyes. "You were right Hermione." He said in a whisper then let out a quiet laugh, "Like usual, you were right."

Chapter Text

Hannah

Hannah met with Snape in his office, to his great disappointment he'd ended up as a caretaker of sorts to Lupin and Black for the time being. Snape had dark circles under his eyes and a large mug of something, Hannah couldn't tell if it was coffee or alcohol, possibly both.

"So what should I expect?" she asked as they stepped out the floo at Snapes house and activating the glamour that made her look her actual age.

"A self righteous asshole and a brooding dog." he said before stepping through again to the residence the two marauders had taken up.

Hannah quickly followed behind him, "I meant their healing process not personality flaws." She said smiling. "Which is which?"

"I'll give you fifty sickles if you can guess correctly after meeting them."

"You have yourself a deal." she said with a laugh. "Seriously though, I'm going in their heads, will I be okay?"

Snape sobered up and placed a calming hand on her shoulder, "You remember what I told you about getting out safely?"

"Calm and careful." She repeated his words from their last lesson, "No matter what."

"You are already so much better at legilimancy that I am, give yourself some credit every now and then."

Hannah smiled, "Easier said then done." she replied.

"Is that your new girlfriend Snivelus?" Sirius said coming out of his bedroom. He looked much better than Harry had described, he was still much too thin and his face had a hollow look to it but his hair was neatly combed and he wore well tailored robes that accented his eyes. Harry was certainly correct in describing him as attractive. 

"Hardly." Snape said removing his hand from her shoulder, his mood immediately soured.

"You're right, she's far too pretty for you." Sirius chided. 

"Jealous?" Hannah asked.

Sirius smirked looking her up and down. "You could do so much better sweetheart." he said approaching her with his hand out for a shake "My name is Sirius Black. And you are?"

"Taken." she said in reply not taking his offered hand, simply raise her left hand to show off a wedding ring Neville had made for her. "Ready for a checkup?"

"You are Peverell's colleague?" Sirius asked retracting his hand, his mood now soured too. 

"That is correct."

"And what exactly is your business?"

"None of yours at the moment." Sirius blanched and Hannah could hear a faint laugh from Snape beside her. "We can go on like this all day if you like, or I can do what I came here for and we'll both get out of your hair."

"You are quite the character."

"Only for you sweetheart." she said mimicking his earlier tone, "Shall we get started?"

"Be my guest" He said shaking his head at himself and taking a seat.

Hannah went through a whole host of diagnostic spells on him, most of them came back with positive results but he was still far to weak physically for what she would expect at this point in his recovery. She looked quizzically between the two men in the room.  

"You are taking the potion supplements right?" She asked Sirius. 

"Only when I know he didn't make them." Sirius replied looking pointedly at Snape who just rolled his eyes.

"Seriously?" Hannah asked.

"I don't trust him." Sirius said shrugging his shoulders then crossing his arms, "And neither should you, he was a death eater."

"uh-huh." Hannah began, "And until a week ago you were a terrorist. Whats your point?"

"He's a Slytherin." He said as if that was actually a clever point.

"Oh I'm sorry." Hannah began, "Didn't realize you were still twelve, did you want a lolly when were done here?" Sirius stared at her stuck between shock and fury. "For your information, Severus has brewed every potion that either of you have been given recently. You're not dead yet are you?"

Hannah watched as Sirius took in each word and understanding dawned on his face. Hannah was surprised Sirius could look any more shocked than he already was. They were in for a tough revelation when they eventually learned the whole truth but that would be a long time coming. 

Sirius sunk back into his seat and looked to Snape. "Remus' potion too?" He asked quietly.

"Obviously." Snape said.

"He didn't say." Sirius whispered and Snape quickly schooled a look of hurt on his face. Sirius took a deep breath, sat up straight, and looked directly at Snape. "Thank you." he said flatly. "For giving him that."

Snape just stared back, trying to read whatever emotions lay behind the gratitude. "Purely academic." he said finally, moving his gaze away.

Hannah rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Sirius, "Please actually drink the potions from now on, they are only for your benefit."

"I suppose." Sirius said still staring down Snape.

"We're almost done." Hannah said. "I'd just like to take a look in your head if that’s alright with you."

"You want inside this mess?" He asked gesturing to his head "Everyone knows you don't go looking into a mind like mine."

"I need to know what we're working with."

Sirius shrugged, "I'll let you in, but don't blame me when you get lost in there."

Hannah readied herself, trying to look more confident then she felt. She tried to enter and found herself blocked by weak shields, she could push through them easily if she wanted to but she waited for Sirius to lower them and she quickly entered.

Sirius was right, it was an absolute mess in here. Much like Hagrid's mind there were projectile thoughts shooting across his mind space like out of control spells. She found herself being thrust from memory to memory unable to make out any details.

"Can you try to focus on something for me please?" She said.

"Any suggestions?"

"How about when we met earlier?"

Hannah felt the images start to settle as she found herself looking at her and Snape in the living room. The memory was murky and missing details like it was already being forgotten. To her surprise she could also feel a series of emotions like she was experiencing it herself, that had never happened before; anger, distrust, and jealously. Before she even had a moment to wonder what that implied the memory started to shift to one of his school days. This memory was much clearer but there was an almost grayscale haze to it that made it hard to make out details, even so, she instantly recognized the dark light trying to skirt her notice coming off of a teenage Severus Snape.

She didn't dare trying to reach to it as the memory started to move on already. She found herself in the place of a young Sirius at some fancy dinner party, he stood off to the side of the room clutching the hand of another young boy who looked so much like him. The younger boy looked scared and Hannah could feel the strong desire Sirius had to get the boy away from whoever was looking for them. They weaved through the crowd accidentally bumping into a young man holding a champagne glass. "Oh dear me." He said and Hannah felt her heart stop, "Where are you boys off to in such a hurry?" Hannah stared up at the face of a young Henry Abbot, the father she never got to know. She felt the memory begin to shift again and, despite knowing better, she tried to remain in the memory of her father.

"No" She heard herself say, "No wait." She began to feel a tug of pain in her core as she pushed against the natural flow of Sirius' mind.

"Hey" She heard faintly as she felt a light pressure on her hand. "Calm and careful remember?" The voice of Snape came through grounding her back in Sirius' mind. "Calm and careful." he repeated with a hint of desperation in his voice. 

Hannah took a deep breath and let go of the memory, 'Calm and careful" she repeated quietly.

"That’s right, it’s time to come out now."

Hannah calmed herself like she had practiced and pulled out of Sirius' head. She opened her eyes to see Sirius looking between the two of them in confusion.

"Are you alright?" Snape asked still holding her hand.

Hannah blinked and felt a tear fall from her eye, "Yeah." she said wiping it away. 'I'm okay, that was just… a mess."

"I did warn you." Sirius said. "Still, you made it out and have earned my respect, and curiosity."

Hannah laughed "I'm overjoyed" she said trying not to put in too much sarcasm.

"Clearly." Sirius said with a smile, "I'll fetch Remus for you." He got up to walk away but paused, turning back to look at Snape. "Severus." He said giving the man a slight nod.

"Black." Snape replied raising he chin. Sirius narrowed his eyes at the man but quickly turned back around walking away.

Hannah took a deep breath trying to clear her head before Remus came out. To her surprise the front door burst open and Harry walked inside briskly, wearing his glamour, and casting strong protections on her and Snape.

Neville

Neville was spending the afternoon with Sprout helping in the greenhouse. He missed being around plants all the time, their room at home sometimes felt more like a garden than a bedroom but that was exactly how he liked it. He felt peace being here, a peace he didn't think he'd ever feel at Hogwarts again but this was a good start, a sign that maybe things would turn out alright this time.

He was tending to a patch of flowers when he suddenly felt a tug on his core and a sharp pain begin to spread from the back of his neck and down his spine.

"What the hell." he whispered to himself then froze as a single overwhelming feeling took over everything. Hannah. Something was wrong, she was in trouble. Neville turned to Sprout who was already approaching him in concern. He clutched his hand to his diaphragm as the pain seemed to be settling there, "I need to get to her." He said gasping sending a message to Harry through his ring to come here ASAP. Harry was the only one in the castle who knew where they were and could get him there.

Just as quickly as the pain came it vanished. He stood in the greenhouse panting, supporting himself against the wall as Sprout helped him to a sitting position.

"What just happened?" She asked crouched down beside him, "Are you alright?"

In that moment Harry apparated beside them and fell to his knees casting a shield on them all and diagnostic on Neville. Neville could see the focus and determination in Harry's eyes, a look he hadn't seen since the battle.

"I'm okay" Neville wheezed, "Check on Hannah, I think something happened to her." Harry looked into Neville eyes for a moment, he was clearly confused but did not waste any more time trying to understand.

"Okay." He said giving him a nod and a squeezing his hand then turning to Sprout. "Stay with him, I'll be right back." Before Sprout could even nod Harry leaned back and apparated away.

"What do you need?" Sprout asked grabbing Neville's hand.

Neville leaned his head far back against the wall breathing heavily, "I need to know she's okay."

"You need to control your breathing first." She said. Neville closed his eyes and tried to breath in and out with her guidance. 

Hannah

"Ha-" Hannah began but caught herself, "Lord Peverell, what are you doing here?"

"Are you alright?" Harry asked almost frantically, "Did anything happen?"

"No? I-" She stuttered completely caught off guard, "Why are you here?" she asked.

"Your husband sent me." He said now standing next to her and Snape, eyes flicking all around the room for any danger. "Told me he thought something happened to you."

"I got caught for a moment in Sirius' mind." She admitted. In the corner off her eye she noticed Remus standing frozen in the doorway to the living room looking utterly confused. "I'm okay." She confirmed and watched how the panic slowly drained from Harry's eyes. He heaved a breath and Hannah felt the protections around her dim. Harry had apparently placed the protections on the entire room as Remus, now able to move, hesitantly took a step towards them.

"What just happened?" Remus asked, "I've never felt magic like that."

Harry ignored him keeping his focus on Hannah. "He's okay, he'll want to see you as soon as you're done here though."

"Noted." She said reaching for his hand as it was shaking slightly. "Thank you for coming" She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, feeling as he immediately relaxed with a heavy sigh. "Stay with him until I get there?" she asked.

Harry smiled and gave her hand a squeeze before letting go, taking a step back, and apparating away. Remus stood a few paces away from them staring at the space Harry had occupied only moments ago.

"Could I maybe get an explanation about all that?" he said with a vague hand gesture.

"A new mystery it seems." Snape said.

Hannah sighed, "Yes because we needed another one of those." she turned to Remus trying to think of how to even begin to offer an explanation. "Everything is alright, my husband was just checking on a feeling."

"He wouldn't come himself?" Hannah twitched slightly at the insinuation but quickly realized the question was genuine.

"He is not permitted within the wards." she explained. 

"But you- He-" Remus stumbled over his words, "With magic like that surely the wards mean nothing."

"The wards were also made with magic like that." Hannah said and Remus paled looking around the room like he'd somehow be able to sense the magic now that he knew what Harry could do. "I believe Lord Peverell told you he would not add anyone to the wards without discussing with you first."

"Yes but I didn't think…" Remus trailed off.

"That he would keep his word?" Hannah finished for him, "There is no need to doubt him in that regard, Lord Peverell never lies."

Remus turned to Snape clearly seeking his opinion on Harry's character.

Snape pondered for a moment then said "The only lie I have ever heard him utter is that he is fine."

Hannah choked giving Snape a pointed look, "I'm going to tell him you said that."

Snape winced, "I'd really rather you didn't."

"I suppose." Hannah said, 'I do quite like having you around."

She saw the slight smile appear on his face as he gently shook his head.

Harry

Harry apparated back to the greenhouse to find Neville just where he had left him, thankfully looking much better than how he left him. Sprout sat crouched next to him holding his hand and helping to direct his breathing.

As soon as Neville noticed Harry he sat up and looked to him in anticipation, but before he could even ask Harry answered his question, "She's perfectly fine." Harry assured him. "She said she got caught up in Sirius' mind for a moment but she made it out alright." as he spoke he removed the glamour he thankfully had the forethought to apply before bursting through the door.

Neville let out a heavy sigh of relief. "Thank Merlin." He said quietly.

"I told Hannah to come see you as soon as she was done with Remus."

"Thank you Harry."

"Any time." Harry said sitting down on the other side of Neville with his legs crossed. "Are you up for trying to explain what happened with you?"

Neville smiled "Knew that was coming."

Harry shrugged, "If you have some kind of psychic ability I want to know how it works. But if you need time, it doesn't have to be right now."

"I don't know." Neville said, "It's never happened before but I just had this overwhelming feeling that she was in trouble."

"May I make a perhaps silly suggestion?" Sprout said.

"Please." Harry said encouraging her to continue.

"You and Miss Abbott are bonded, correct?" she asked Neville who nodded. "When I was a little kid, my great grandmother used to tell me a tale about a couple who could sense each other's magic because their love was blessed by Lady Magic herself. It's an old fable of even older gods but it does seem quite familiar does it not?"

Harry thought about it but Neville didn't look convinced. "I am living proof that one such fable held some truth." Harry said, "Weirder things have already happened, whats one more."

Neville laughed, "Fair enough, where do we even look?"

"Honestly I'm not sure, I think my granny had a book she used to read but I would have to dig for it."

Neville turned to harry with a shit eating grin, "Add it to the list?" Seeing that Neville now appeared to be fine Harry gently punched him in the shoulder.

"Smart ass." He said but he couldn't hide the smile. "Already done."

Draco

Draco hesitated at the door to Flitwick's office clutching his journal in hand. He still wasn't able to make sense of what the requirements were for the horcrux ritual. He was more than confident that it would work how they intended it to, but the not knowing why was starting to drive him mad. If there was something to magic they didn't understand then learning about it may lead them in the direction of figuring out Dumbledore's strange magic.

The thought of actually asking for help made him feel physically ill but he knew he had to. Harry hadn’t actually talked to him yet about what Flamell had said about him, but he had a few theories; the biggest one being about his insistence on figuring things out himself. Draco never asked for help, he never needed it, or so he told himself.

He remembered hearing long ago that goblins were particularly good at ritual magic, though during the war he was told otherwise, he now trusted the sentiment prior to be more accurate.

"Ah Mr. Malfoy." Flitwick said as he entered the office. "What can I do for you this evening?"

"I was hoping you could look at the notes, see if you can identify what I am missing?"

Flitwick paused what he was doing placing his quill down on his desk and watching Draco with curiosity. "You're allowing me to look at your work?" Flitwick asked and Draco nodded, "I understand." Flitwick said and the look in his eyes reflected a much deeper understanding than even Draco had of himself. "May I ask why you came to me and not Professor Snape?" He continued.

"Snape is a genius in many regards," Draco began, "However, ritual magic is not one of them. I heard once that the goblins were the leading experts in the field." 

"it is unfortunately not my personal field of expertise," Flitwick replied, "but I hazard I may know more than the average witch or wizard on the subject. Why don't you take a seat while I take a look?"

Draco took another deep breath as he passed his book to Flitwick who waited patiently for Draco to be ready. Draco sat down across from him as Flitwick read through everything carefully.

"This is brilliant work." Flitwick said as he reached the end of his notes

Draco smiled, "Any thoughts on what the missing requirements are?" he asked hopefully.

Flitwick hummed, "The goblins claim that the elements play a major role in ritual magic, and magic as a whole. The way these requirements are referenced here looks very similar to that, though, I unfortunately don't know much more on the subject."

"Elements?" Draco inquired.

"From what I recall, according to the elders, every ritual must account for all six to be successful."

"Six?" Draco questioned, "But this only mentions five."

"Six." Flitwick confirmed counting off on his fingers, "Earth, Fire, Air, Water, Sun, and Moon."

"Well I suppose it's at least worth looking into." He said mildly disappointed.

Flitwick smiled, "I'll see what I can find. You may want to accompany Harry next time he meets with Argos to ask him about it directly."

"Perhaps." Draco said knowing he wouldn't until he'd exhausted every other possibility. Asking for help once was more than enough for now.

Chapter Text

Draco

The time of the infamous Halloween feast had arrived. Draco spent most of the day in class covering for Harry's obvious anxiety, since, according to him, things always went bad on Halloween. Draco kept reminding him that the 'bad' thing that happened last time was exactly what he wanted to happen this time, but Harry never seemed to appreciate that train of thought.

Draco was certainly curious to see how the celebration went, the big question being whether or not Quirrell would release the troll into the dungeon again, but it was the celebration after dinner he was most excited for. With all the craziness happening at the start of school he completely missed doing anything for Mabon, though he figured they were all doing enough 'preparing for darker times' to make up for not acknowledging the day itself. Samhain was a more important celebration and he refused to miss it, regardless of what Hogwarts rules were on the matter.

It had become a sort of secret tradition within the Slytherin dorms to celebrate their ancient holidays despite Hogwarts as a whole transitioning towards the Christian ones. The students, and sometimes even professors, would gather and observe their holidays within their ability to do so. For Samhain that was fairly easy, everyone gathered around the fireplaces in the common room and gave thanks to their ancestors through meditation. Its not like the traditions were dangerous, they weren't dark magic, barely even magic at all. They celebrated the existence of the world, of magic, of life, and of community.

The holidays were some of Draco's favourite traditions and he was surprised to hear the other houses didn't do something similar to celebrate. He thought for sure at least Ravenclaw would have something but Flitwick said there was no such thing as far as he was aware.

Draco was pulled from his thoughts when Quirrell barged into the great hall screaming about a troll loose in the dungeon and promptly passed out.

"Well shit." Draco whispered under his breath. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table starting slack jawed at Neville. Despite everything there was still a part of them that must have been rejecting the reality of the time travel. Now that what Harry had predicted had come true, there was no questioning it anymore.

The room exploded into chaos as the professors all tried to calm down the students while figuring out what to do themselves. Just like last time, the students were all to be lead to their dorms by their prefects while the professors searched for the troll. Beside him Harry was giggling quietly something then jolted slightly in shock. Draco turned to check on him but Harry just continued to laugh, covering his mouth with his hand to try and hide it.

"Whats so funny?" Draco asked.

"I sent Snape a ring image of him meeting with the Troll in the girls bathroom." Harry said still fighting the laugh, "He replied with a stinging hex."

Draco shook his head as he chuckled quietly, "I still can't believe you went looking for the troll at eleven."

"We went looking for Hermione and happened to run into the troll, those are two very different things." Harry said raising his hands in surrender. They were quickly rounded up with the rest of the Slytherins and lead out of the great hall towards their dorms.

Harry leaned over to Draco and whispered "They're really making us walk through the dungeons when that’s were they think the troll is"

"Yup" Draco replied,

"Did this happen last time too?"

"Yup." Draco repeated, "Slytherin's can take care of themselves."

"Yeah that's not what I have an issue with."

Draco just shrugged, "Welcome to Slytherin."

Harry rolled his eyes, "I should go meet with Professor Binns before we get locked in our rooms for the night."

"Oh right, I forgot about that." Draco said looking at the other students around them to see if anyone was watching them, "Got you covered here."

Harry smiled, giving him a salute then disappearing under a strong concealment spell.

Harry

Harry made his way towards Binn's classroom only once having to press against the wall as Professor Babbling passed him running down the hall. He wondered idly if they had managed to subdue the troll yet, though, since he and Ron had been able to do it at eleven he assumed they would be just fine.

When Harry entered the classroom he stared in awe at just how many ghosts were there waiting for him. Some of them he didn’t even recognize as Hogwarts ghosts, he had either greatly misjudged how many ghosts lived within the castle or they'd been busy getting the word around. Harry hoped he wouldn't be disappointing them all tonight.

Harry removed his concealment charm and every ghostly head in the room turned to him. The ghosts all began to fly towards him in excitement asking a million questions or wanting to get a look. Harry very quickly felt claustrophobic as the ghosts scrambled to see him and many phased right through him making him feel queasy.

"Ahem." Binns coughed and all the ghosts stilled backing away to allow Harry space to breath. "Don't go smothering him." Binns continued when the room was silent, "He can't open the veil for you if he crosses it himself now can he?"  Harry smiled at him as he leaned against a desk trying to catch his breath. "You going to be alright Son?"

"I'm okay." Harry lied, "Just need a minute."

Harry fought to keep himself grounded as the panic spread through him and silently regretted not asking someone to come with him. Lost in his own mind he was surprised to feel a firm pressure against his hand, it was cold and quickly growing lighter but it was there and it lead him out. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes to see Myrtle floating in front of him, her hand on his where the pressure was now almost gone.

"Hey Myrtle." Harry said.

"Harry." Myrtle said smiling with a ghostly blush.

"How did you do that?" Harry asked lifting his hand to examine it closely.

"It's what Neville and Draco do when they gets lost." Myrtle replied.

Harry smiled. "Thank you Myrtle, but how did you not just phase through me?"

"I don't know." She said with a shrug,  "You don't know?" 

Harry shook his head, "Nope."

"But you do know how to open the veil right?"

"I think so." Harry said, "You going through?"

Myrtle seemed hesitant, "I'm sad to go now that I have real friends." she began, "But I miss my Mum and Dad."

"I understand that completely." Harry said smiling at her, "I'm sure they'll be happy to see you again."

"Will you say goodbye to my friends for me?" she said through hiccups.

"Of course." Harry replied. "We're all going to miss you."

Myrtle smiled and floated towards the other ghosts to wait for him to open their way to death. Harry closed his eyes trying to focus on summoning a door like he had done for Flammell, he imagined how it felt to open it last time and how it felt to cross it himself when he had died in the forest. He felt the room grow cold and still as quiet whispers filled the air.

When he opened his eyes his breath caught in his throat as he took in the sight in front of him. It looked so much like the veil Sirius had fallen through in the department of mysteries. He panicked for a moment fearing that the passage would remain open forever like the other one did but as soon as he thought that the doorway blinked out of existence. The ghosts in the room looked at him in confusion but Harry was too busy feeling relieved.

"Okay." He said out loud, mostly to himself. "I don’t know how long I can keep it open, so go while you can."

Harry opened the veil again swallowing the panic he felt when he saw the dark material slither and flow unnaturally from the passageway.

An elderly lady approached the doorway and stared up at it. "Thank you dear." She said turning to Harry, "For this second chance." without waiting for a reply she stepped through vanishing from sight. One by one the other ghosts in the room followed suit each sharing their thanks to Harry before stepping through, Myrtle blew him a kiss.

Draco

When Draco entered the Slytherin common room the prefects were checking names off an attendance list to ensure everyone was safe and accounted for.

"Have you seen Mr. Potter?" The prefect asked Theo as he marked him and Draco down on his parchment.

"He wasn't feeling well so left the hall early, he's probably in our room now." Theo said.

The prefect looked to Draco who just nodded in confirmation. "Said he had a headache."

"Okay, you two head to your room then and let me know immediately if Mr. Potter is not there."

"Of course." Theo said.

"The ceremony will be at eleven tonight if you two plan to participate." the prefect continued over his shoulder as he marked off three of the fifth year girls. 

Draco and Theo headed to their rooms for the evening where they were met with a very stern looking Pansy Parkinson. The rest of the first years were sitting around their little first year common area looking various degrees of concerned and curious.

"I have some questions for you." Pansy said pointing directly at Draco.

Fuck. Draco thought, he knew this was coming sooner or later ever since Theo and Blaise had found them, but he had hoped Harry would at least be around for it as well.

"What kind of questions?" he asked calmly. 

"Don't play dumb with me." Pansy said crossing her arms. "I know Theo and Blaise went searching for your secret meeting place and now they're both buddy buddy with you and Harry. You all started fighting with the Gryffindors for some reason even though we all know you're still friends, and you just lied to the prefects about Harry's whereabouts."

Draco listened to the accusations while taking a look at each of his classmates assembled in the room. Pansy was leading the interrogation but Daphne and Millicent looked just as invested in hearing the answers. Tracey, Vincent, and Gregory seemed curious but not super pressed. Theo shuffled away to join Blaise on the couch, both boys looking a little nervous.

"Was there a question in there?" Draco asked when he looked back towards his inquisitor. 

Pansy huffed, "Where is Harry Potter right now?"

"Meeting with Professor Binns" Draco answered honestly.

"Whatever for?" Daphne said from her seat.

"Celebrating Samhain." Draco said after a moment of thought, that seemed like a safe enough answer.

"He couldn't do that here?" Millicent asked.

"It’s a bit complicated for him." Draco answered.

"Why?" Pansy demanded.

"Now that’s a question for Harry." He said, "Not me."

"Fine, why are you three picking fights with Nerville an Ron?""

"They're Gryffindors." Draco shrugged.

"No." Pansy said growing angry, "Harry was preaching to us about house unity and now he's off picking fights? It doesn't add up."

Draco sighed, "It's complicated."

"Un-complicate it." Pansy said.

"If something is going on here we deserve to know about it." Daphne said calmly. "We snakes have to stick together." 

"She's right." Millicent added, "If you could tell Blaise and Theo about it why can't you tell us?" 

"It's not safe." Draco said quietly.

"Bullshit." Pansy replied.

Draco looked to Theo and Blaise for help but they both stared at him waiting for instruction. Draco sighed, "Look I will make each of you a promise; practice your occlumency and if professor Snape says your shields are satisfactory I will truthfully answer any question you wish to ask of me."

"Professor knows what's going on?" Pansy asked. 

"Yes." Draco confirmed. "If you want to know my secrets you need to be able to protect them."

Pansy stared at him trying to gauge how truthful he was being, finally she huffed and sat down willing to submit to the requirements. 

"Any question?" Tracey asked breaking her silence from the couch.

"Any." Draco confirmed.

"Like how old you really are?" Tracey continued. The others looked at her in confusion but Draco just smiled at her.

"Yeah," He replied, "Like how old I really am."

Tracey nodded, "I look forward to our conversation."

Harry 

Harry had to really focus to keep the veil open, he had no idea how much time had passed when the last ghost made their way across but it felt like hours. He took one last look around the room to confirm there were no more stranglers before he heaved a sigh and released the magic keeping the doorway to the afterlife open. He leaned back against his chair closing his eyes debating how troublesome it would be to just apparate back to his dorm instead of walking, he didn't even know how late it was.

"Hello Harry."

Harry felt shivers up his spine at the sound of the strange voice. It was like nothing he had ever experienced before. He opened his eyes to see a translucent figure cloaked in pitch black robes that seemed to act more like a liquid than a fabric. The creature itself seemed almost incorporeal and emanated a deep coldness that made Harry begin to shiver all over.

"You don't recognize me." The figure said tilting its hooded head slightly. "I did look quite different last time we met." Harry tried to take in his surroundings but there didn't seem to be anything to take in. He could still feel the chair he was sitting in but all around him was endless darkness.

"You're death." Harry said in awe.

"Indeed." Death replied.

"What…" Harry began, not entirely sure what he should even be saying to the deity, "What can I do for you?" he said.

Death did not have a face and yet the misty material inside his hood seemed to try to warp into some kind of smile. It made Harry more unsettled than anything. "I have not come to request anything of you child." Death said, "I came to thank you for giving those souls another chance to pass to me. It is unfortunate that I can only see each soul one time, if they do not accept my offer they are forced to remain here until someone like you chooses to help." 

"Someone like me?" Harry questioned.

"A Master of Death." Death replied.

"What exactly does that mean?" Harry questioned, "To be a Master of Death?"

"You have passed my test and gained entry to my domain and the powers it can grant."

"The test being collecting the Hallows?"

"Partially." Death continued, "One only needs to collect one of the hallows to seek my approval, however, it is only granted to those who come to me willing to accept death. Those who come seeking power or immortality are never granted them."

"So I only lived back then because I was ready to die?"

"One must have a respect of death to be trusted to wield it."

Harry nodded along knowingly, "What does it entail then? To wield death?"

"Many things." Death replied, "I cannot tell you everything, but I suppose I can get you started. As you know you have the ability to open the veil for passage in and out of my realm, you can use the power of the hallows without possessing them, and you have dominion over any being in the living world who uses magic from mine."

"Can I still die?"

"You may choose to come back as many times as you like as long as your body remains a suitable host."

Harry paused thinking about all the new information, "Do you happen to know what being Master of Time and Magic entails?"

Death let out a strange sound that could have been a growl or a laugh. "You must direct those questions elsewhere, it is a shame we have been so long forgotten."

"We?" Harry questioned. "Where do I need to look?"

"You cannot seek." Death said, "Listen and feel instead."

Harry furrowed his brows, "I'll try."

Death shimmered for a moment disappearing and reappearing just as quickly. "My time here today is short." Death said in explanation, "I must implore you to utilize your abilities more, there are many who wish to speak with you."

"Really?" Harry asked before realizing who he was likely referring too; His parents. Harry looked away. "I'm not sure what I would say."

"Child." Death said, "The veil only separates the living from the dead, not the other way around. Those who have passed on can still chose to watch this world, and they often do. Those who wish to speak wish to do just that, they already know what you cannot say." There was silence for a long moment so Death continued, "Unfortunately I must depart now."

"Will I ever see you again?"

"No, I suspect not." Without another word Death disappeared in a flash and the room around him suddenly took shape again.

Binns stood watching over him. "You alright?" Binns asked.

"Did you hear all that?"

"Not exactly," Binns began, "It's hard to describe but I felt his presence."

"Hard to describe on my end too." Harry replied, "He did confirm I can open the veil whenever I want to though, amongst other things."

Binns smiled, "I'll let my friends know to start planning my retirement party."

Hannah

Hannah had never really celebrated the wizarding holidays much, since her mom was a muggle she wasn't raised with it all. Though even Susan and Neville, who were raised by witches, didn’t really celebrate either. Ever since the Global Wizarding War in the forties it had fallen out of fashion. Apparently someone, and Hannah was pretty sure she knew who, correlated celebrating the holidays to practicing dark magic which made many light families halt the traditions all together.

So here they were half a century later trying to reclaim a part of their heritage. Hannah had never really considered celebrating before but after hearing Draco speak about it she knew she had to give it a try. It was the first time she had ever seen him so passionate about something and it made her immensely happy. So she listened to everything Draco had to say on the subject and asked Susan to join her by the fireplace in the Hufflepuff common room after things had calmed down from dinner.

All she really knew was that the day was about showing gratitude for those who were gone.

"I want to thank…" She trailed off trying to set her head straight. Her thoughts went first to those she lost during her war, but all those people were, thankfully, returned to life with her return in time. Her mother, Amelia, Sally-Anne, Megan, and too many others to list.

Susan sensed her unease and spoke first, "I want to thank my parents." She began, "For giving me life, and for giving their lives fighting for a world worth living in."

Hannah reached for Susan's hand as a tear began to streak down her friends face. "I want to thank my Father." Hannah said, "For leaving behind a legacy of bravery that gave me the courage to continue the fight."

"May I join you?" A voice came from behind them.

Hannah wiped a tear from her cheek and turned to see an upper year girl watching them in fascination. She was tall with long limbs and even longer brown hair. "You’re celebrating Samhain right?" She asked clearly a little nervous.

"Our first time." Hannah confirmed smiling. "Please do." 

The girl took a seat beside Susan and held her hand out for her which Susan took. "I want to thank my brother." She said watching the fire crackle, "For saving me from the lake when we were kids, I hope I am living a life worthy of the both of us."

"I'm sorry for your loss." Hannah said and she noticed Susan squeezing the girls hand.

"Yours too." She smiled at them.

As they spoke more curious students approached and without speaking sat down joining them in a circle of clasped hands.

"I want to thank my uncle." Said one boy, "For teaching me everything I know, and everything I don't." 

"I want to thank my grandmother." Said another, "For showing me what true strength really means."

More and more students joined their makeshift celebration taking seats anywhere there was room, on the couches first then the floor, sharing a message for a lost loved one and offering comfort to whoever happened to be seated next to them. As Hannah looked into the fire, holding hands with her housemates and thinking about all their stories of gratitude and loss, she thought she could just make out a faint voice she had only heard once before.

"I love you, my golden girl." it said.

She heard a few quiet gasps and knew the others must also be experiencing a quiet message from a loved one. Despite the grief heavy in the room and her heart, she felt a warm glow in her core and she knew then she would never miss this day ever again.

Neville

After the chaos of dinner Neville settled himself by the fireplace with an old book of fables, taking note of anything that sounded even remotely possible. He hadn’t found much yet, he had to keep reminding himself this wasn't a total waste of time but it sure felt like it.

It was in the middle of a tale about a vampire that the Weasley twins found him. "We've been cleared." Fred, or maybe George said. Neville was confident he could tell them apart, one of them was ever so slightly taller and had an extra freckle on his nose, he just wasn't sure which name actually belonged to which boy since they interchanged them so frequently.

"So I heard." Neville sighed closing his book.

"You owe us some answers." The other twin added.

Neville nodded as he took a look around the room to make sure no one was watching them then cast a notice me not on the three of them. He stood up walking away pausing only when he realized the twins weren't following him.

"You coming?" He called to them. Both boys scrambled up and followed behind Neville like ducklings.

Neville lead them to an alcove at the back of the room, once again checking that no eyes were looking in their direction, then used his magic to open a founders door. Behind him he heard both boys gasp in awe.

Neville had made it a goal to himself to find as many secrets room as possible, so far he had only found Gryffindors and Hufflepuff's room but he was sure there was more. He tried to ask the portraits about it but they claimed they couldn't possibly remember where they put all their rooms, they always just smiled knowingly in response to all his theories and questions. It drove him mad but clearly gave them loads of entertainment.

He asked Harry and Draco to look for a hidden door in the Slytherin common room but they hadn’t found anything yet. Nevile wasn't convinced that it was actually well hidden, more like they weren't really looking that hard. He absolutely couldn't wait until Luna arrived to take a look for Ravenclaws room, he was certain she had another library in there somewhere.

"What is this place?" George asked.

Neville waited until they were both inside then closed the door and replied, "This is Godric Gryffindor's room." Neville said, "And I am his Heir."

"Blimey." Fred said.

"We've had to explain everything one too many times and we're starting to forgot to mention every detail so we wrote everything down." He said passing them each a journal they had filled with notes on what they had experienced and learned since arriving in the past. "I'll answer any questions you still have when you're done."

~

"All the heads know?" Fred asked soon after closing the book in his lap.

"Yeah." Neville said putting down his book to give the twins his full attention.

"Brilliant." He turned to his brother, "I'm thinking Cross, Diggory, Maybe Eaves?"

"Barrows too."

Fred snapped his fingers, "Mhmm yes perfect, what about Slytherin?"

"Pucey maybe." George said deep in thought.

"What are we discussing exactly?" Neville asked very confused. He was expecting a million questions about their situation or even just shock that it was real but they seemed to be lost on some other train of thought entirely. 

"The club was a good idea-" Fred began. 

"but it wont work." George continued. 

"Dumbledore would take notice and shut it down."

"So we do study groups instead."

"Study groups?" Neville questioned. 

"They'd be in the common rooms so only the heads would be able to oversee them."

"No need to go through the process of pitching and organizing an official club." 

"Plus more people would go with no house mixing."

"So the names…" Neville trailed off quickly realizing they were who the twins planned to work with. The only name Neville recognized was Diggory.

"Cedric Diggory and Marnie Eaves of Hufflepuff, Jeremy Cross and June Barrows of Ravenclaw, and Adrian Pucey of Slytherin."

"Less sure about that last one, Slytherins tend to keep to themselves."

"Harder to tell where they stand."

Neville nodded along, "Snape can help there, whats the plan?"

"Simple." George said, "Defense tutoring."

"We've had shit professors for a while, everyone's practically ready to teach themselves anyways."

'We'll just give it a little push."

"And keep it all a secret?" Neville pushed. 

"Of course."

'We're not amateurs."

"We'll just put out a few targeted rumours and no one will talk about it outside their common rooms."

Neville chuckled, "You two are kind of terrifying."

"Thank you." They said together bowing slightly.

"Do you need anything from us?" Neville asked them. 

"You're doing enough."

"We'll talk to Maggie if something comes up."

Neville was confused for a second before he realized they were talking about McGonagall. "You call her Maggie?" He asked incredulous.

"She hates it." Fred said with a wide smile.

"I'm sure she does." Neville said laughing. "You two seem oddly calm about all of this."

"It is a tad unusual." Fred said looking only mildly put out by the idea. 

"But this is by far the best option." George continued. 

"What do you mean?" Neville asked.

"We've known all our lives that a war was likely in our lifetime."

"You're offering to stop it before it even starts."

"We're in."

Neville shook his head, "You don't have to-"

"Neville." Fred cut him off, "We were always going to have pick one side or another."

"Let us pick yours."

Neville sighed, "Okay." He said resigned. He wouldn't stand aside when the battle came to him in fifth year, he couldn't expect the twins to be any different.

They sat in silence for a while before Fred cut it with another question; "I need to ask though, do you really know the Marauders?"

"Or did you just mention them because you knew we would listen?"

Neville smiled, "Both." he said, "I did know them but I haven't met them yet this time, Harry has been helping them."

"Who are they?"

"They were Gryffindor students. Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and James Potter."

"No way."

"Sirius Black?'

"Wait, you said Padfoot was framed?"

"No way." They repeated again.

"And Potter?"

"Harry's dad?"

Neville did his best to answer every rapid fire question they threw at him but it was hard to keep up. The twins barely noticed as they got lost in conversation with each other.

Chapter Text

Harry

By the time Harry had left Binns' office it was already early in the morning. He decided it was too late to go to bed so he went for a walk around the castle grounds hoping the chill autumn air would wake him up. He was certain that, despite the potion that had been working so far, he'd inevitably have a dream about losing Sirius in the department of mysteries. Well, that, or one of the many that involved his parents. That was not something he wanted to test out when he'd only be getting two hours of sleep at most.

He found a nice bench outside facing the rising sun and decided to spend the time writing as detailed of an account as he could about his meeting with Death and their conversation. He still wasn't entirely sure what to even think about the encounter, there was a lot to unpack about the existence of an actual deity. Not to mention the fact Death had said "we" implying potentially multiple powerful beings that no one knew anything about. The implications were making his head spin, but that was an existential crisis for a later time.

Then there was what Death had said about Harry's abilities being master of death; most notably being able to control creatures who used death magic. He wasn't sure what would classify or how one was supposed to command control over them. He was certain it would prove to be useful, but the thought of experimenting with it was more than a little terrifying. Regardless, he would discuss it with his friends and add it to the list of things to look into eventually.

Harry was just wrapping up when Hannah sat down next to him startling him into slamming his notebook closed.

"Morning Harry." Hannah said passing him a steaming mug of coffee.

"Morning" Harry said releasing a sigh and taking the offered mug. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Couldn't sleep." Hannah said, "Thought I'd come watch the sunrise to clear my head, didn't expect to find you here though."

"Everything okay?" Harry asked.

Hannah hummed, "Undecided." She said, "Some of the other 'puffs and I did a little Samhain ritual last night, sharing stories and such by the fire. I heard my dad in the end, it was nice, but also really sad you know?"

Harry smiled at her and placed his hand over hers . "Yeah." Harry said gently, "I know."

Hannah smiled back then took a deep breath. "So, how was your experiment last night? We going to be missing some ghosts around the castle?"

"Oh yeah." Harry said, "There were at least a hundred." Hannah turned to him with wide eyes, "I didn't recognized most of them, I think word got around to wherever else they all came from. Myrtle went through though."

"Really? Good for her." Hannah said, "Though I'll admit it will be so nice to have that bathroom be useable again."

Harry laughed. "Might make it awkward for Draco to open the chamber though."

"Oh I forgot about that!" Hannah said covering her mouth with her hand, "Is that really the only entrance?"

Harry shrugged, "At this point I'm just going to assume I don't actually know anything about anything."

Hannah narrowed her eyes at him, "Something else happen last night?" she asked.

"I met Death." Harry said flatly, best to drop the bomb he figured. Hannah stared at him with her mouth parted unable to utter a sound. "Yeah." Harry said, "Bit of a mind fuck huh? Probably best to save the questions till everyone's around."

Hannah blew out a breath, "Well shit." She said, "That's what you were working on huh?"

"Yep." Harry said popping his 'p'. "It’s a new mystery."

"Oh good, we were running low on those." She replied with a smile and they both laughed.

They sat in silence together for a few minutes just watching the sunrise.

"Can I ask a favour of you?" Hannah asked after a while.

"Of course Han. What's up?"

She smiled still facing the sun "Can you check on Severus? Somethings been bothering him but he won't talk to me about it."

"What do you mean?"

"He's been acting all weird since Sirius was released, and I know you know he's been drinking more than he should. Minerva mentioned he'd be out of sorts for a while so I know something is wrong but she wouldn't say."

"She said that? What do you think it is?"

Hannah pursed her lips, "I have some theories," she admitted "but it's not my place to say."

"So what do you expect me to do?"

"Guy talk?"

Harry laughed, "I think you overestimate our relationship."

"I think you might be surprised." She replied. "Please?"

Harry sighed, "I can try."

"Promise me?" She asked. Harry looked at her incredulously and she explained, "I know you'll just talk yourself out if it otherwise."

Harry laughed, "Fair enough. I promise I will try talking to him."

"Thanks." She said taking another sip, "Anyways we should probably head inside soon, don't want anyone seeing a snake getting all cozy with a badger." she teased.

Harry gently pushed her, "Ha ha." He said, "I can't wait to get out of here for winter break."

"It will be nice not to have to act all the time for a while."

"Are you going to talk to your mum about everything?"

Hannah bit her lip, "Yeah." she said slowly, "I think so."

"Anything I can do to help?"

Hannah smiled shaking her head, "No, I'll be alright."

Harry nodded his head once in agreement then stood up and stretched his legs. "Well I'll head in first, if I don't make it to breakfast before Pansy she drinks up all the coffee."

Hannah laughed "See you in charms later."

Neville

At lunch time the Weasley twins sat with Neville and confirmed that the DADA clubs were all good to go for each house. They had apparently cornered Snape after their morning potions class to ask about potential allies in their year, they seemed to be content with who was suggested as they had already made all the arrangements. They wouldn't go into detail about how the conversations went, just that each house would be establishing a study group by the end of the weekend.

"You two work fast." Neville said.

"We're thinking to get started with the group tonight, will you be there?"

Neville shook his head, "I won't be around tonight." the twins looked at him expectantly and he just smiled shaking his head, "It's an important day for me."

The twins exchanged a look, "We'll let Diggory know to wait until Sunday so Hannah will be around then yeah?"

Neville laughed, "You two are far too clever."

The twins smirked at each other, "And you need to learn to stop giving up the game on a guess."

Neville sighed, "Noted." He replied.

"Whats this about a study group?" Hermionie asked from the seat beside him.

"Defense tutoring." Neville explained, "You're joining."

"Obviously." Hermione replied. "You too Ronald." she said elbowing the other red head beside her.

"What cause the classes weren't enough already? We have to have extra class in the common room?"

"You’d really rather have all your defense experience be from Quirrell?" she chided.

"No" Ron said shrinking into his shoulders.

"That’s what I thought, besides, your brothers are setting it up so it ought to be fun."

"Dangerous more like." Ron grumbled shoving some scrambled eggs into his mouth.

Neville laughed, "He's got a point."

"Alicia and Lee are going to be the face of the Gryffindor Defense Club." Fred explained.

"People won't take it seriously if we ran it."

"Our reputation is too strong."

"Deservedly so." Ron mumbled.

Harry

Harry could tell Snape hadn't been doing great ever since Sirius was released from Azkaban, he'd been pretty friendly with his fire whiskey for a while now. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to be talking to Snape about but he had promised Hannah he would try so that's what he was going to do. He hated to admit she was right about making him promise, it was the only reason he was doing this today and not putting it off for weeks.

Harry made his way to Snape's office after dinner and found him half asleep at his desk with an almost empty bottle of fire whiskey in his hands. He looked up groggily at Harry who just sighed and vanished the bottle. Snape shot up angrily but Harry simply crossed his arms and sat down across from him. They glared at each other for a while before Snape finally broke the silence, "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" he slurred slightly.

"Do you maybe want to tell me why you've been drinking like a drunkard lately?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Yeah I figured." Harry said examining his professor, "Which is why I came prepared for a trade." He began, "You talk and so do I."

"Elaborate."

"You said I needed to talk to someone," Harry explained, "and you and I both know I haven't and I wont; not unless you agree to talk too."

The silence stretched on until Snape finally grumbled, "Fine." He said, "A trade."

"A trade." Harry agreed.

Snape took a breath and closed his eyes, "Give me a moment." He said standing up balancing himself on the back of his chair for a moment before swaying off to his potion cupboard. He examined the bottles closely before picking one and downing it. He returned to his seat summoning a glass of what appeared to be a juice of some kind.

"What was that?" Harry asked.

"Sobering potion." Snape answered simply then took a sip of his juice, "As much as I would prefer to be drunk for this conversation it seems a little counter productive."

"Indeed." Harry replied.

Snape sighed, "I know you've been worried, but I did take precautions to ensure I'd be cognitive in the event it was ever necessary."

"So why have you been drinking then?"

Snape pursed his lips and looked away, his face went through a series of different emotions as he was trying to think about what to say. He finally settled turning to look at Harry again, "I find myself wishing Sirius was guilty." Snape began, "Remus was the only person who ever tried to be friendly after everything and now he's hanging off whatever Sirius says."

"Which is what? That you're an evil Death Eater and can't be trusted." Snape nodded and Harry shook his head, "You really think Remus believes that?"

"Everyone thinks I'm a traitor." Snape said, "Doesn't matter who you ask, light or dark, I'm a turn coat, a scape goat, a dead man walking. No one want's to get involved with me."

"But Remus did."

"Not anymore."

"If that were true he would have ran away by now." Harry said, "Trust me, they hate me way more than you at the moment, and yet they stay."

Snape pursed his lips, "I don't know." he said.

"Sirius is a very outspoken man and he often speaks for others without actually knowing their mind. Have you actually spoken to Remus recently?"

"Just about the potion."

"Okay so start there." Harry watched Snape as he fiddled with the potion bottle. "Or don't" Harry said shrugging, "It's not like he's your only friend."

"I think you'll find that he is."

"Hannah would be very upset to hear you say that."

Snape paled but shook his head, "She's my student." He said, "It's not the same."

Harry sighed, "I know we look like first years but we’re actually only a few years younger that you."

"I suppose."

Harry examined Snape closely as he fiddled with the potion bottle some more, "It's just easier to be alone right?" He began. Snape didn't look up. "Then nothings holding you back when things get hard, you can be self destructive and none of it even matters." Snape clenched his eyes shut and fully turned his head to the side. "Yeah it's a bitch to hear isn't it?" Harry continued, "What's worse is learning after the fact, that people did care and had to watch you spiral."

"Nobody care's about me." Snape whispered.

"I care." Harry said clearly, refusing to let Snape pretend he couldn't hear what he was saying. "So does Hannah, Draco, and Neville. Regardless of how much of an arse Sirius is, you still have all of us. You're not alone." 

"It's hard to get used to."

Harry nodded, "I know." The silence stretched on for a long moment so Harry continued, "Can I ask you something else?"

"Am I going to like to question?"

"No." Harry said honestly.

Snape sighed, "Only if I get to ask you one later too."

"I suppose."

"Go on then."

"Why did you join Voldemort?"

Snape sighed as he tilted his head back in thought, "I was in Slytherin, it's just we did." Harry stared at him and Snape continued; "Don't give me that look Harry, I knew what it meant and what the consequences would be, Lily made sure to make it clear, but look at my choices; Join the Death Eaters and loose my sister, or join her and be hated by everyone on both sides. At least with the death eaters I knew no would stab be in the back, I was too valuable to the Dark Lord for that."

"Sister?" Harry questioned.

"Lilly." He explained, "We grew up together and were inseparable until…" 

Harry stared at Snape as he slowly worked to rewire what he knew of the past. "So you didn't want to date her?"

Snape now very confused shot him a look, scrunching his nose, "No, why do you think that?"

"Well it was kind of implied… you know what not super important at the moment. You joined the Death Eaters for protection? So what made you turn to Dumbledore?"

"I don't know." Snape said, "I mean I know- but- I don't think its reality."

"The memory block?"

"Yeah, I can't think of any reason why I wouldn't go to Lilly first if I was worried about her. And then theres you, in order to be your godfather I had to have met you as an infant so…"

"You did see her." Harry finished his thought.

"And she had to believe I wasn't a committed death eater, otherwise she would have never let me anywhere near you." 

"So you had to have come to that decision yourself."

"Yeah."

"And what about now?"

"Now?"

"If he came back, as he was, would you join him again?"

Snape sighed gently placing a hand over the covered mark on his left arm, "I don't really have a choice." 

Harry stared Snape straight in the eyes as he straightened up in his seat, "I am giving you the choice." He said forcefully as Snape watched, eyes flicking back and forth between Harry's, trying to decipher how serious he was being. "Severus." Harry said shocking the older man, it was the first time Harry used his first name outside of the marauder's house. "I don't know whats going to happen with any of this," He began, "but if it comes to a fight again you do not have to pick between those two arseholes."

"I never wanted to fight." Severus said quietly.

Harry relaxed, "I know, I didn't either." He said more gently. "You know, if you don't want to be involved, I'd still protect you from that choice. I will not make soldiers out of unwilling participants." Severus lips parted slightly as he stared at Harry in awe. "So?" Harry pressed.

"I'm here already aren't I?"

"But do you want to be?"

"Yes." Severus said resolutely, "I think I'd like to fight for my friends this time." he confirmed.

Harry smiled, "I'm glad."

There was silence for a moment then Severus cut in with the change in conversation Harry was dreading. "So." He began, "Your turn now?"

Harry tensed and rubbed his hands over his face dragging them down to clasp together on his lap. "As promised." He said tensely.

"I'll take a raincheck if you need."

"No, It's alright," Harry said looking away, "I'd avoid you for days if you let me go now."

Severus chuckled, "It's a shame you and I didn't get along your first time, we're so much alike."

Harry laughed, "If someone told me that last time around I probably would have killed them."

"No." Severus said with a gentle head shake, "No you wouldn't have, at most you'd give them a slap on the wrist."

"Hey! You act like I was a goody two shoes."

"Well…"

"Okay not fair."

"I just think its worth noting that, given everything you had to go through, you didn't go murderously mad. I doubt anyone else in your position could say the same." Harry was silent so Severus pushed, "Weren't you angry?"

Harry tensed and took a deep breath. "I don't think I've ever not been angry."

"Tell me about it."

"What? Being angry?"

"Yes, what are you angry about?"

Harry scoffed, "That should be pretty obvious."

Snape shrugged, "Explain it."

"I can't, it's…" He gestured vaguely.

"Try."

"Why?"

"It's my first question."

"It doesn't even matter."

"Yes it does. What are you angry about right now?"

"The fact that were having this conversation." Harry said through gritted teeth.

"Good start, what else?"

"I don't know."

"Yes you do."

"For fuck sake Severus!" Harry exploded standing up, "I'm mad at everything okay! This whole bloody world was placed on my shoulders the second I got that stupid letter. Everyone expected me to die for a world I never even got to know, I was forced to be a soldier in a war I was clueless about, I've been called a liar, a maniac, a cheater, a traitor, you name it." He shouted counting off the names on his finger, "And now. After everything, I have to do it all again!"

Severus watched Harry's outburst, listening closely to each complaint. "You don't have to." Severus said quietly at the last remark.

Harry sighed closing his eyes and sinking back into his seat. "Just like you; I never had a choice."

"You gave me one. Give yourself one too." Harry shot him a questioning look. "Step away, no one of import would begrudge you of that."

Harry though about it for a moment then sighed, "I can't do that. I can do what needs to be done, I always have."

"But what will it cost you?"

Harry shrugged, "It doesn't matter."

"You're such a hypocrite."

"What?" Harry said in shock.

"You JUST finished lecturing me about not self sacrificing."

"That's not fair."

"Tell me I'm wrong."

Harry didn't move his gaze from his fixation on the arm rest of his chair, "I-" He began but Severus cut him off.

"Look me in the eye and tell me I'm wrong." Harry clenched his fists hard against the chair and not so quietly seethed. "Look Harry, things are different this time; you're not a soldier any more."

Harry looked up in confusion "I don't understand." he said quietly.

"This time you're a general. You have all the information. You are in control. And you don't use fear or manipulation to force people to submit to you."

"I'm not a leader."

"Seriously?" Severus said, "This wasn't a contest to see who could be the most self deprecating." Harry scowled but Severus just ignored it. "Do you seriously not see how everyone looks up to you?"

Harry shook his head, "It's not like that, we're a team"

"If you really believed that you would share your burdens."

Harry tensed again then hung his head. "Flamell said pretty much the same."

"And?"

"I don’t know how." Harry began, "I don't know why people look to me, I never wanted that."

"That's a good thing Harry. The people who want power rarely deserve it."

"What am I even supposed to do?"

"Let people help you for a start. And for Merlin's sake talk to someone."

"I'm talking to you."

"And I'm glad, but really, look at the two of us." He said gesturing between them. "Theres practically a mirror between us. You won't take my advice anymore than you'd take your own."

Harry smirked letting out a quiet laugh and shaking his head, "That probably true. Who then?"

"Well Pamona and Filius are probably much better at this than I am. Though frankly, I think theres only three other people who could really understand and help at the moment."

Harry sighed, "Yeah, I guess." he said quietly. 

"Another trade?" Severus said tentatively, "I'll talk to Remus about my shit if you talk to one of them about yours?"

Harry laughed but found himself nodding before he'd even finished thinking about it. "I suppose that's a fair trade."

"Deal?"

"Yeah, deal." Harry confirmed.

Hannah

Neville had sent her an urgent ring message to meet at the room of requirement right after classes, so instead of heading to dinner with her housemates she excused herself to head to the seventh floor. She was still exhausted from last night, not to mention the day of classes. Still, she got there as quickly as she could.

When she entered she found Neville waiting for her by himself looking a little nervous already changed into his casual clothes for the weekend.

"Everything okay?" She asked.

"Everything's perfect darling." He said reaching for her hand. "You up for a little field trip?"

Hannah smiled, "Depends, where are we going?"

Neville smiled back, "Trust me?"

"Always."

Neville kissed her on the forehead then whispered for her to close her eyes. By the time he leaned away from her she had her eyes gently closed waiting expectantly for whatever surprise he made up for her. He reached for her other hand gripping them both tightly as he apparated them away.

She kept her eyes closed when they arrived but could feel the heat of a crackling fire and the soft hum of gentle music playing nearby. She felt as Nevilles magic brushed up against her skin changing her robes into a soft flowy material that she almost recognized but couldn't quite place.

Neville gave her hand a squeeze and she opened her eyes, gasping at the sight before her. The room was stunning, made of polished hard wood and beautiful stone work. A large hearth warmed up the space with a dancing fire while a picnic blanket had been laid out on the floor adorned with all her favourite dishes.

"It's beautiful Nev." she said in awe wearing a wide smile on her face. Looking down at herself she recognized her favourite golden yellow sundress.

"Happy anniversary my love." He said.

She turned to him in shock, there anniversary was in June not the start of November. Before she could question him he continued, "We missed June in coming back here and I just thought, we've been so busy and stressed out lately, we deserve a nice little get away."

"You're so mean." She pouted and Neville looked concerned for a moment before she continued, "You didn't give me a chance to get you gift." Neville laughed releasing the tension he'd been holding.

He pulled her close into a hug "You being here with me is all I could ever ask for."

She shook her head but fell into his warmth anyways. "I will get you back for this." she mumbled into his chest.

"Can't wait." He said kissing to top of her head then loosened his hold, "Hungry?" he asked.

"Starving." She said smiling moving to take a seat on the blanket.

The night was absolutely perfect, she stuffed herself with lobster and garlic potatoes for dinner then Neville brought out apple pie for desert and she just about died of happiness. After they were both sufficiently stuffed they cleared away the picnic and danced the night away with a bottle of Champaign. The sun had long since set when they finally stumbled into bed laying on their backs shoulder to shoulder with their legs and fingers entwined.

"This was really nice baby." Hannah said cuddling up into Neville's shoulder.

"I have one more surprise for you." He said turning to look at her. "Look up."

She scrunched her face at him but obeyed, tilting her head back to watch the ceiling. Suddenly the roof above them disappeared from sight revealing an unobstructed view of the night sky and its glittering stars. Hannah gasped gripping his hand tightly in her own, she loved to watch the stars move across the sky. She pulled her eyes away from the night sky and turned to Neville to find him watching her instead of the stars with a look of pure adoration.

"I love you." She whispered to him.

"I love you too." He whispered back.

"Do you think we'll ever get to kiss again without it feeling weird?" Hannah asked.

Neville laughed, "Depends, how old do you think we are now?"

"Hmmm" Hannah pondered, " Hard to say, it's only been three months after all."

"Well I think I'm a solid eleven and a half." He said. "You?"

Hannah laughed. "Very specific." She replied.

Neville smiled at her, "I think we'll be back to our usual selves before we know it."

Hannah smiled, "I hope so."

Neville squeezed her hand and leaned his head into her shoulder, "How about this, first time you really want to kiss me you just do it. But you have to really want to."

"Well I kind of want to do it now."

Neville shook his head slightly, "Nope, that’s cheating."

Hannah laughed, "Alright." She said, "As long as you do the same."

'Deal," Neville said, "Though I think we're going to want to do it at the same time."

"Me too."

Hannah kissed his cheek then tilted her head back to watch the night sky again as vibrant shades of pink and green of the northern lights painted the sky.

Draco

Harry finally came into the dorm hours after dinner looking more than half dead. They had barely spoken during classes, Draco wasn't sure he would even be able to stay awake through all their classes. Then Dinner came and Harry just grabbed a couple bites before excusing himself for the night. Draco was sure they'd find him soundly passed out back in the dorms but he was nowhere to be found.

"Hey" Draco said resting his book down in his lap. Harry sluggishly lifted his hand to give Draco a wave of acknowledgement before he collapsed into his bed fully clothed and shut the curtains. Draco grunted and returned to his book, he was very curious about how Harry's ghost ritual had gone but Harry was clearly not in the mood at the moment. Instead he returned to his book which had yet to offer any insights into the elemental magic Flitwick had mentioned to him.

After a couple more hours of reading to no avail Draco began to yawn incessantly, so he folded the book closed and began to stretch. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed frantic disjointed movements from behind Harry's curtains. That was certainly strange, neither of them had been having nightmares since Severus had given them his potion, at least as far as he knew. Regardless, Draco crawled out of his bed and over to Harrys pushing his way through the silencing charm to see what was going on.

Harry was tossing and turning mumbling something Draco couldn't make out. As soon as Draco placed his hand gently on Harry's arm he sat up suddenly screaming and releasing a strong burst of magic that pushed Draco back tumbling to the floor.

Harry looked around haggard and confused in a state of shock, but as soon as he noticed Draco lifting himself off the floor he  began apologizing, "Shit Draco, I'm so sorry." He lunged forward offering his hand to help him up, "Are you alright?"

Draco watched him in confusion, he just woke up from what was clearly a nightmare and he was asking if Draco was okay? He took Harry's offered hand settling himself at the foot of his bed.

"I'm alright." Draco confirmed when it looked like Harry was going to start fussing over him, "Are you?"

Harry stilled, blinking slowly, then wiping at his face to rub away the tears. "I guess I fell asleep." he said simply.

"Did you not take the potion?"

Harry looked away, "I didn't."

"Why not?" Draco asked confused.

"Forgot." Harry said shrugging his shoulders. They watched each other for a moment then Harry looked up at the ceiling muttering a curse under his breath. "You can ask." he said like he was regretting the words even as he spoke them, "if you want." he finished.

So Harry was making this Draco's choice? He felt frozen, taking in the boy sitting in front of him trying to figure out what he wanted. Harry looked back down at Draco, if he didn’t take this opportunity now he might never get another one. He couldn't help but be curious about Harry's dreams. 

"What was it?" He asked finally, "Your dream."

Harry looked almost relieved when he leveled his eyes and responded quietly, "The room of requirement."

Draco sucked in a breath, he didn't need to ask for any details to know which time he was referring to. "You said yours were always memories." He said, it wasn't a question but Harry replied anyways.

"Yeah." He began softly, "If I don't play them out accurately I have to restart from the beginning."

"That sounds awful."

"It is." Harry agreed,

"That explains why you were so against repeating things, sounds like you've been doing enough of that."

Harry huffed a laugh, "Never thought of it that way, but yeah I guess so."

Draco smiled slightly then dropped it as he thought about what Harry had been dreaming about. "I never thanked you for that." Draco said quietly.

"For what?" Harry asked looking genuinely confused.

"Everything really." Draco said, "Saving me and everyone we know from a life of indentured servitude to a mad man for starters, but also I should have died from the Fiendfyre that night."

Harry looked down, "yeah, well I also nearly killed you in sixth year so."

"That’s not even close to even."

Harry shrugged "You also saved me by lying to the snatchers in seventh."

"I'd hit my quota for torture that day."

Harry looked to him with a question burning on his face, Draco just shook his head and Harry let it drop.

"Can I ask what your dreams are?" Harry asked instead.

Draco flinched, he should have expected that. It was only fair after all.

"It's always the same." He began, "I'm stuck in bed and can't move or open my eyes but I can hear people coming up to me, talking about how much of a failure I am." Draco looked down not wanting to see Harry's reaction to anything, "I can always feel the moment the Dark Lord enters and decides my fate, the cold press of his wand against my temple, and the green light that takes over everything. Sometimes, at the end, I can open my eyes just enough to see my parents relieved faces when the spell goes off."

Harry listened intently to his description, "Do you know it’s a dream when its happening?"

Draco shook his head. "It always takes a few minutes to readjust to reality in the morning."

"Even when you see your parents?"

"Especially then." Harry stared at him in a way Draco couldn't understand. "What?" He asked.

"Sorry it's just… why? They would never be relieved in that situation."

"You don’t know that."

"I'm actually pretty certain that I do." Draco scoffed and shook his head. "No I'm serious Draco." Harry said, "Did your mother ever tell you about what happened in the forest?"

"We never really talked about it."

"Well, when I was hit with the killing curse, Voldy and I both went down. When he recovered he sent Narcissa to check that I was truly dead. She knelt by me pretending to check my pulse I think, but really she asked if you were okay. When I nodded she got up and lied straight to his face." Draco didn't know what to think. "She loves you enough to risk everything just to know you were okay." Harry continued, "I admit I don't really understand your father, but you do your mother a great disservice if you believe for even a second she could be happy about your death."

"It's not that simple." Draco said fighting the tears that threatened to fall. He didn't know that about his mother, they never talked about the war or the things it made them do. It was too difficult. Too fresh.

"Why not?" Harry asked. Draco couldn't explain it, what could he even say? "I think Flamell was wrong about you." Harry said after a moment of silence.

Draco was utterly confused now, "What do you mean?" he asked quietly.

"I know we never talked about it, and I'm sorry for waiting so long." Harry sighed, "He said the Slytherin heir has always been from the other side of whatever war, and in order to succeed you need forgiveness; from the other travelers but also from yourself."

Draco listened intently, that is not at all what he expected would be his 'flaw' as it were. "You don't think I need to do that?" he asked curiously, it would certainly save him the mental anguish.

"No I absolutely do, and I think you've made exceptional progress on that front." Harry complimented, Draco felt his face heat up and looked away. "But I think there's more…" Harry took a deep breath carefully picking out his next words. "I think you need to accept that people do actually care about you."

Draco went still and pale. Nope. That is not what he wanted to hear. "Can we go back to talking about you now?" he whispered quietly.

Harry laughed gently put didn't push the subject. "You got another question for me?"

"What did Flammell say about you?"

"I don't…" Harry trailed off clearly not wanting to answer.

"Can I guess?" Draco asked. Harry just shrugged, "You take on too much and won't let anyone help carry the burden."

Harry's eyes went wide looking utterly embarrassed and turned away. "Is it that obvious?"

Draco smiled tightly, "Even when I hated you I knew you overburdened yourself."

"You don't hate me anymore?" Harry asked looking so pleased.

"Not what were discussing right now." Draco said crossing his arms, "What did he say to you?"

Harry took a deep breath, "I need to be less self sacrificing." Harry said, "He kind of implied I'm fated for an early death otherwise."

Draco watched the way Harry said it like he was resigned to that fate. "You really think you're going to die young?" he asked.

Harry shrugged, "Seems like my fate is sort of sealed in that regard."

Draco tutted, "Do you remember what you said to me when we first found each other here?" He asked, Harry shook his head.

"You told me you didn't believe fate was set and that I had to choose to make better choices no mater the circumstances."

Harry chuckled, "Sounds like I was being an arse"

Draco laughed, "yeah you were." He agreed, "But you were also right. You can't handle everything yourself." Harry looked down while Draco watched his face for any hint that he would accept Draco's words, "We can't risk losing you Harry." He said finally.

Harry closed his eyes as tears began to fall gently against his hands folded in his lap. Draco leaned in closer to gently place a hand over Harrys to offer comfort.

Harry relaxed sitting up straighter and opening his eyes, "You're a good friend Draco."

"You're just saying that."

Harry made a face and shook his head, "I mean it." He said, "Did you know, Myrtle said she learned from you and Neville how to help me out of a panic attack?"

Draco gawked looking to Harry, "I-" He couldn't even form a though on the matter let alone a response.

Harry smiled, "I can tell you care about us just as much as we care about you. I hope you can see it one day too." Draco frowned looking away. Harry squeezed his hand. "I think we've done more than enough sharing for the day, shall we head to bed?" 

Draco suddenly remembered how late it actually was, "Yeah." He agreed, "Good thing we can sleep in late tomorrow."

"It'll be a miracle if I wake up before noon." Harry said.

Draco snorted and stood up to head back to his bed for the night, "Goodnight Harry."

"Good Night Draco."

Chapter Text

Harry

Harry hadn't even been awake for an hour when he received an urgent message from Severus to get to the Marauders house ASAP. He had only managed to eat a single sausage roll before he was hurrying up and out of the great hall, at least he got to sleep in. The message didn't indicate what the emergency was but Harry was pretty sure Sirius was throwing another one of his tantrums. Harry had tried several methods to show Sirius that 'he' was fine; Letters, pensieve memories, unbreakable vows. It didn't matter, Sirius wanted to see his godson and he was getting more and more agitated by the day. He was thankfully submitting to their healing regardless and seemed to like Hannah well enough, but anytime 'Lord Peverell' was around, or if he wasn't around enough, Sirius would throw a fit about getting to see Harry.

He knew the man was stubborn but this was just insane. They were simply not well enough yet and Harry was all but ready to prove it to him today. He was practically stomping through the halls towards anywhere he could apparate from when he found his path blocked by Dumbledore.

Just what I needed he thought fuming.

"Ah Mr. Potter." Dumbledore said cheerily, "Just who I've been looking for."

Harry tensed, "Looking for?" He asked trying to hide the tremor of anger. He did not have the mental wherewithal to have this conversation right now. He sent a panicked ring message to everyone begging someone to come help him not blow their cover. 

"Yes, I wanted to ask about your plans for the Christmas break."

"I'm not sure yet." Harry said.

"You're not looking to visit your family?"

"No." Harry said flatly daring to look straight at Dumbledore. He smiled and Harry immediately felt the pressure of his forced legilimancy.

"I think your family would really like to spend time with you, don't you?"

"I suppose." Harry said through clenched teeth.

"Dumbledore." McGonagall's voice came from down the hall, Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh Dear." She continued when she got closer, "Have I interrupted something?"

"Not at all." Dumbledore said cheerily, "I was just chatting with young Mr. Potter here about his holiday plans."

"I think I'll go home for Christmas." Harry said.

"Excellent." Dumbledore smiled. "I'm sure it will be much more fun than staying in the castle all week, it can get quite dreadful here in the cold."

"Mr. Potter." McGonagall said turning her attention to him, "I hope you're off to work on that essay for me tonight."

"Yes Ma'am." He said nodding enthusiastically.

"Off you go then."

Harry gave them both a wave then walked away, as soon as he turned a corner he all but sprinted away, his magic vibrating through him wanting a fight. As soon as he found himself alone in a hallway he apparated to the house, applied his glamour, and let himself inside.

When he opened the door he found Severus and Sirius facing off against each other. More accurately, Sirius was waving his wand threateningly while Severus stood with his arms crossed standing his ground. Remus stood off to the side watching the two of them with uncertainty.

At the sound of the door closing all three of them turned to look at Harry. Remus seemed almost relieved to see him, Sirius was furious, and Severus looked to him with deep concern clearly wanting details about his panicked ring message.

"Later." Harry said to Severus, "What's the problem here?"

"The problem." Sirius said now facing Harry and waving his wand in his direction, "is that I still haven't seen my godson."

"It's not exactly top of my priority list." Harry replied casually. Trying, and probably failing, to not roll his eyes. 

Sirius narrowed his eyes and nearly growled at him, "I told you what my conditions were."

"And I told you I would try, I made no promises. You've gotten more than enough irrefutable proof in my opinion."

"I want to see him."

"No." Harry said sternly, he was so sick of having this argument.

"We are well enough." Sirius said, "You're colleague - who still hasn’t given me a name by the way - has given the green light on our health."

"Physically yes, your occlumency shields however can still use some work."

"I am more than capable of holding my ground."

"Are you?" Harry asked. He raised his hand summoning Sirius' wand to him catching it midair. "How about now?"

"That’s not fair." Sirius said fuming.

"Nothing is fair." Harry said tossing the wand back to Sirius, "You can't see Harry, It's simply too dangerous for the both of you."

"Stupify" Sirius yelled as he shot a stunner at Harry. Remus jolted forward but stopped as Harry just waved his hand and threw the spell off its course, Harry couldn't tell if Remus was trying to stop or help him but it didn't matter. 

Harry felt his anger rising as he clenched his fists and glared at the older man, "You know what? I'll make you a deal, if you can prove to me that you’re really 'capable' as you say I'll let you see him despite the risks." It was certainly very risky but Harry was itching for a fight.

"I'm listening." Sirius said.

"Hit me with any spell. I'll even let Remus help you, "Remus' eyes went wide from the side of the room, he wanted to stop the fighting Harry concluded. "but if you can't you shut up about it until I deem you ready."

"Deal." Sirius said turning to head straight into the practice room.

"Sirius!" Remus called in disbelief hurrying after his friend "What are you thinking?"

"It's fine." He said sharply, "We got this."

Harry couldn't hear the rest of their conversation as both men rounded the corner to the dueling room. He took a moment to catch his breath and straighten his robes as he waited for Severus.

"Peverell." he said, his voice laced with concern.

"I'm fine." Harry replied sharply.

"That doesn't mean what you think it does coming from you."

Harry sighed, "I was told to go home for Christmas." Harry said.

"Ah." Snape replied in understanding, "Very well, try not to kill them today." He said as he headed into the dueling room, Harry laughed and followed him.

Hannah

Hannah and Neville had planned to make it back to Hogwarts before the sun rose but they ended up sleeping in late. Their exhaustion plus the Champaign hangover meant they didn't get out bed until at least ten in the morning. They apparated back to the secret library by eleven where they found Susan waiting for them.

"Have a nice night?" She asked with a knowing smile.

"It was lovely." Hannah said ignoring the implication, "You waiting for us?"

Susan stood up from her position on the couch, "Thought I ought to warn you both." Susan began "Meg and Sally were super worried about you last night. I told them you had important business to attend to and that you would tell them about it when you were ready, they seemed satisfied with that but will probably have a million questions for you."

Hannah and Neville exchanged nervous looks but Susan continued, "Anndd" she said elongating the word, "I don't know the details but I saw Seamus and Dean arguing with Ron and Hermione at breakfast this morning."

"Brilliant." Neville said with a sigh turning to Hannah, "Divide and conquer?"

Hannah laughed, "You got it. Debrief tonight?"

"Definitely." Neville agreed.

Hannah nodded, "Might be a long one if Harry makes it, he's got some big news" She didn't want to elaborate on it anymore than that.

Neville seemed to understand the hidden meaning, going slightly pale before shaking it off. "Can't wait." He said. 'Big news' for Harry was never good news for anyone.

They said their goodbyes before sneaking off to their respective dorms.

Hannah was fretting the entire walk about what she was going to tell her dormmates. They had all discussed a little bit about what they would say in these circumstances but eventually decided there was just no way to plan for how things would play out in reality. The conclusion was to just handle it when it came about, seemed like a reasonable assessment at the time but now that the time had come about she was beginning to panic.

Susan seemed to notice and reached for her hand as they walked. "What's going on in there?" She said looking pointedly at her head.

"I don't know what to tell them."

"I don't think you have to tell them anything." Susan said, "They were just concerned about you, they'll trust you if you say you're alright."

"You really think so?"

"What do you think?" She asked instead, "You know them better than I do."

"Not for long enough." She said as tears started to fall gently from her face.

Susan stopped walking and pulled her into a tight hug. "They're here now." she whispered, "They just want to be your friend."

Hannah laughed, she missed when making friends was her biggest concern. "I haven't been a good friend to them have I?" She asked pulling away slightly.

"No." Susan honestly with a gentle voice, "But they don't hold that against you, you've been pretty busy"

"What about you?" Hannah asked, she realized she hadn't been spending much time with Susan lately, always too much to do.

Susan smiled, "We're sisters." Susan said, "You'll have to try a lot harder to shake me."

Hannah laughed then pulled her into another hug. "I love you so much." She whispered.

"Love you more." Susan replied. Susan pulled back just enough to free her hand and wipe away the tears streaking down Hannahs face. "You ready for this or do we need to go hide for a bit?"

Hannah took in a deep breath and gently let it out, she wouldn't tell them her secrets today but she would offer them some information. "I'm ready." She said.

When they made it back to the Hufflepuff dorms Sally-Anne and Meagan were just getting back from an early lunch. The four of them exchanged glances and silently agreed to meet up in their room. They each sat at the end of their beds which were arranged in a horseshoe so they could all chat easily.

"I'm really sorry for worrying you last night." Hannah began when they had all settled.

"You alright?" Sally-Anne asked looking concerned. She could probably tell that Hannah had been crying recently, she always had a sixth sense for reading people's emotions.

"Yeah I'm okay." Hannah said, "Just homesick." she continued. It wasn't a lie, though she knew they would interrupt it differently than she meant. She was homesick for a place that no longer existed.

"Is that why you've been keeping so busy?" Meagan asked.

"Yeah." Hannah replied, "Keep's my mind occupied."

"What is it exactly you're working on?"

Hannah bit her lips and fiddled with her hands in her lap, "I'd kind of like to keep it a secret for now, if that’s alright?"

"Of course." Meagan said nodding.

"You'll let us know if we can help at all, right?"

Hannah smiled, "I will. I promise."

"I know you have lots of old friends, but we're here for you too." Meagan said.

"Thanks guys. I'm sorry I haven't been a great friend to either of you."

"Nonsense." Sally-Anne said shaking her head, "I wouldn't have passed any of my assignments without your help. All this magic is so complicated." Sally-Anne, like most muggle born witches, had a hard time adjusting to the wizarding world let alone learning the magic. Last time around all of them had pitched in to helping Sally-Anne and Justin catch up, but this time, since Hannah was way ahead of everyone, she spent the most time coaching them through the spells and essays.

"You’re trying." Meagan said with a smile, "That's all that matter to me."

"You're friends with Neville and Harry right?" Sally-Anne asked sitting on the edge of her bed elbows on her knees while she rested her chin on the palm of her hands. "What is up with them fighting all the time?"

"No gossiping?"

Sally-Anne 'zipped' her mouth shut with her finger and threw away they key. "We're the house of loyalty right? A promise is a promise, my lips are sealed."

"Well…" Hannah began wondering how to word it. "Apparently Dumbledore tried to force Harry to switch houses to Gryffindor." at this Meagan gasped looking between Hannah and Susan trying to detect a lie, "Yeah." Hannah confirmed, "Harry and Nev have been friends for ages so they decided to put on a bit of an act to convince the headmaster that Harry wouldn't fit in with the Gryffindors."

"Little" Sally-Anne said with air quotes and a smirk, "It was quite the performance."

"Are you serious?" Meagan asked breaking the casual air of the room.

"Yeah. I'm confident it's true." Hannah said.

Meagan looked away eyes narrowing to the floor trying to decide how to react to that. Sally-Anne watched confused before tentatively asking, "Is that really bad?"

"It's certainly frowned upon." Susan said

"At my old schools your house didn't really mean anything, it was just how teachers organized us for school wide activities and such." Sally-Anne shrugged.

"They're a bit more meaningful here." Susan said, "It becomes a part of your identity, people will make judgements of you based on your house."

"That's kind of depressing." Sally-Anne said. The room was quiet for a moment before Sally-Anne continued, "Alright so hit me, what are the stereotypes?"

Hannah hesitated but Susan didn't "Brave, Smart, Evil, and other." she counted on her fingertips.

Sally-Anne crossed her arms, "Seriously? I'm guessing we're 'other' are we?"

"Yep." Meagan said, "Bit of a blessing and a curse."

Sally-Anne rolled her eyes, "That's stupid. We're all just people."

"I agree." Hannah said, "As do most sensible people."

"So whats the problem then?"

"Well you've heard about the war right? And how Harry is the 'Boy Who Lived'?" Susan said.

Sally-Anne nodded. She didn't grow up with the aftermath like the pure-bloods and half-bloods did but even only being around for a couple months she knew enough about the war.

"Well he is famous for defeating a Dark Wizard."

"THE Dark Wizard." Meagan butt in.

"As a baby?" Sally-Anne questioned with eyebrows raised. Susan shrugged and nodded. "Alright, go on."

"So, he grows up and goes to Hogwarts, wherein he gets sorted into Slytherin."

"Scandalous." Sally-Anne said nodding.

"More than scandalous to some people." Meagan said, "They'd get over it eventually though."

"Unless the headmaster switches only him out…" Hannah trailed off as she noticed Sally-Anne putting the pieces together in her head.

"Then it proves the theory that it’s a house of Dark Wizards."

"Bingo." Hannah said.

Sally-Anne huffed, "So now Harry and Neville can't be friends?"

"Oh they're still friends." Susan said.

"Haven't you noticed they only really fight when the headmaster is around?" Meagan asked.

Hannah and Susan shared a worried look, she added that to the mental list of things to discuss tonight. How were they this bad at being subtle?

"My sister has money on it being Harry who did that colour changing prank a while back." Meagan continued. "The general consensus in fifth year is that he's too young to come up with something as spectacular as that but they just haven't been around our year enough. He's smart, almost as smart as you." Meagan directed at Hannah.

Hannah chocked, "I'll see if he's willing to admit it to them to settle the bet."

Meagan's mouth went wide. "No way! You're serious?"

Hannah and Susan both laughed, "He was very proud of that one, though he likes to keep a low profile."

Meagan and Sally-Anne both nodded, "Let him keep the secret then, they have enough open bets, closing one wont make much of a difference."

"Did you two hear about the defense club thingy?" Sally-Anne asked.

"Oh yeah!" Meagan said, "You two missed the announcement, some of the third years are putting together a study group for DADA to help supplement our classes."

"Actually, I suppose I can share a little secret with you." Hannah said, "We got help from some upper years to get the club started so we could actually learn some defensive magic."

"You did that?" Megan said. "It's brilliant! Apparently last year they had a teacher who was like barely out of Hogwarts herself. She did a pretty descent job according to Emily, but still, if that’s the standard then we're better off just teaching ourselves."

"So you're going then?" Susan asked.

"Definitely." Meagan replied.

Sally-Anne shrugged, "You know I'm not exactly a fan of extra work, but I suppose I'll at least try it out, it does seem like the most practical of our classes."

"Do you think the boys will go?" Hannah asked.

"I can't see Zach wanting to go, but the others will certainly drag him along." Meagan said.

"Ernie's going for sure, he was talking all excitedly about wanting to learn a bombardment or something?" Sally-Anne added.

Susan laughed, "Well best of luck to him and Merlin save us all if he does."

Harry

Harry stood opposite Sirius and Remus on the raised stage, looking completely relaxed compared to the older men who took on a fighting stance that highlighted the battle training they had both been through. Harry held his hands together behind his back tilting back and forth from his heels to his toes.

Severus stood on the sidelines acting as their referee, as soon as he signaled for the duel to begin the two adults both shot rapid fire spells at Harry. Harry didn't even react, he registered every spell as non threatening to him and let them simply bounce off his shields. He smiled stretching his arms above his head as Sirius and Remus paused their attack.

"How boring." He said, "We'll be here all day at this rate." Sirius just growled, hurtling even more spells at Harry who just shook them off.

"This is no fun." Harry pouted, "I suppose I'll have to make things easier for you. I'll remove my shields, all you have to do is get a spell to hit, you can do that right?"

Sirius and Remus exchanged a series of looks communicating a silent plan of attack. Harry smiled at seeing them working together again. He got into his dueling stance but still didn't reach for his wand. He watched the newest barrage of spells come at him dancing around the platform dodging every single one.

The two wizards paused again as Sirius whispered something to Remus who nodded. Harry simply waited for them to start again. They spread out on the platform firing off spells so Harry was stuck dodging in the middle of the platform watching his front and back at the same time. Then, while Remus threw a spattering of spells at him, Sirius rushed at him with wand raised.

"Got you." He heard Sirius whisper, but before he could even begin his casting, Harry's magic shoved him backwards knocking him on his ass as he dropped his wand which skittered away. Harry laughed delightedly with a wide smile on his face stretching his arms behind his back.

"Not quite." Harry said, "Now this is getting fun." He was, in fact, having way too much fun, it had been a while since he had a real fight, and while he was holding back immensely, the adrenaline felt so good.

Harry turned back to Remus as Sirius scrambled up to retrieve his wand. Remus held his wand down at his side as he stared at Harry looking aghast. He approached slowly sniffing the air around him as he did. Harry sighed, straightening his posture and dropping his dueling stance. He fucked up.

He watched as Remus worked through the puzzle in his head, nearby Sirius had recovered and approached Harry with his wand raised. Remus was pulled from his thoughts as Sirius went to pass him but he reached out and grabbed his arm holding him back.

Sirius reluctantly stopped, turning to see the look on Remus' face as confusion settled in his own.

"I recognize that laugh." Remus said quietly, "For a moment there you even smelt like him."

"Like who?" Sirius asked thoroughly confused.

Severus made to move towards them but Harry lifted his hand to indicate he had it covered, this was his mess to sort out.

"You have Black family magic, you claim to be a Peverell, and you have her eyes." He said slowly.

"And what conclusion have you come to?" Harry asked.

"You're him aren't you?" He said, "You're Harry Potter."

Sirius looked  to him in disbelief. Harry smiled sadly and shed his glamour showing them both his real appearance.

"I didn't have it in me to change my eyes." He said with a shrug.

Remus fell to his knees refusing to look away for even a moment. Sirius approached slowly, tentatively reaching for his face and brushing his bangs to the side to reveal his lightning scar. Sirius choked pressing both hands to Harry's cheeks.

"Why didn’t you say anything?"

"You weren't ready." Harry said.

"This whole time?"

"I never lied." Harry said, "Only kept secrets. Which I will continue to do until you can build your shields to my colleague's satisfaction."

"Why?"

"A war is coming, and the battle lines are not as defined as one would expect. Precaution must be taken."

"You're just a kid."

Harry stepped away from Sirius' hold and stared him down. "I am not child and I will not tolerate being treated like one."

"Not a child?" Sirius said growing angry again, "You're barely eleven!"

Harry glared at him but before he could reply Remus spoke up looking crestfallen from his position on the stage floor. "You don't trust us?" he asked.

"No." Harry said after taking a breath to calm himself down. "I can't. Not yet."

"Why?" Remus asked.

"You're unpredictable and unprotected. It's too risky."

"You use that word a lot." Sirius said, "Risky. What does it mean to you?"

"It means having to watch everyone I love be tortured or killed, again."

"When we first met," Remus began as he stumbled up into a standing position, "You said you'd experienced more than your share of loss."

Harry looked directly at Remus when he replied, "The three of you included."

The two marauders both paled as they considered that information and what it meant for Harry. Sirius recovered relatively quickly and took off stomping towards Severus, shoving him against the wall. Harry made to go pull him off but Severus gave him a subtle headshake.

"Did you know this whole time?" Sirius said angrily grabbing a fist full of Severus's robes.

"Know what?"

"Don't play dumb with me."

"You do that enough for the both of us."

"Why didn’t you say anything?"

"Not my secret to tell." Remus had made his way over to stand closer to Harry and flinched at that comment looking ashamed. Harry knew Remus didn't believe that Severus hadn't shared his wolf secret with Lord Peverell. He couldn't really blame the man, he certainly wouldn't consider time travel as a reason for Harry to have known about him. But now he had to face the reality that Severus did in fact keep his words and his promises.   

"You let me hate him." Sirius shouted back.

"You're choices are your own Black."

Sirius makes a sound that was half growl half groan and punched the wall right beside Snape's head.

"Sirius!" Remus called making to head over to them but Harry grabbed his arm to hold him back.

"Wrap it up." Harry said calmly, "Violence isn't going to endear you to me."

Sirius remained silent looking past Severus breathing heavily.

"I would appreciate if you stopped wrinkling my robes now Black."

Sirius reluctantly let go and stepped back looking away. Severus straightened and smoothed out his robes.

"Why wont you call me Sirius?" he whispered.

"Why would I?"

"I haven't-" he let out a frustrated sigh, "Never mind."

"Are we done here?" Harry asked, "I've got other things to get to today."

"You wont stay to talk?" Remus turned to him with the widest puppy dog eyes Harry had ever seen.

"Not today." he said apologetically.

"Why bother getting me out of Azkaban if you don't want anything to do with me?" Sirius grumbled.

"You'd prefer to spend more time in there?" Harry countered, "I helped because you two are the closest thing to family that I've got; I couldn't stand to know you were suffering for nothing. I love you both, but if you want to be involved with me you need to protect yourself first."

"Can we at least see you for Yule?" Remus asked.

Harry sighed, "Maybe." he replied, "I'll try to make time but I make no promises."

Draco

Draco was on his way to lunch when Harry sent his SOS through their rings. He immediately changed course and headed in his direction but just as quickly he received another message from McGonagall showing her in the hallway with them both. Draco heaved a sigh of relief, he wasn't sure how he would be able to help in that situation, at least not in a way that wouldn't give their hand away. Assuming that hadn't already happened.

Dumbledore was a busy man and clearly had a lot he was balancing but if practically all of their classmates had picked up on their strange behaviour he had a hard time believing that a manipulative mastermind like their headmaster had been fooled. The only other explanations were that he didn't see them as a threat to him or, worse, they were doing exactly what he wanted.

He sat down at the Slytherin table lost in thought as he attempted to eat some stew. He didn't notice Pansy had sat down next to him until she coughed loudly to get his attention.

"Oh, hello Pansy." He said in greeting.

"Draco." She replied, "Can I assume you and your crew have something to do with this whole defence thing in the common room?"

"Possibly." Draco said.

Pansy sighed, "Should we be worried?"

Draco watched her closely and decided to give her a partial answer, "If all goes well, no."

"If all goes well." Pansy repeated, "And if not."

Draco didn’t answer, just turned back to stir his stew around in his bowl.

"I understand you have your secrets," Pansy started, "I can only assume what the reasons are but…" She trailed off and bit her cheek. "Which side are you on?"

Draco looked back at his friend, he could call her that right? She was certainly the closest thing he had to a friend last time around. For the first time he could remember he saw an inkling of fear on her face. They were no strangers to the war or what it would expect of them, but they were just kids. None of them wanted to play the roles they grew to take up, they simply didn't have a choice. By the time they were old enough to understand the seriousness of the position they were in they also knew not to trust anyone with their true loyalties or emotions, even each other.

"We're on our own side." Draco replied, watching as her face lit up ever so slightly, "Not light or dark, a balance."

"You’d fight for it?"

"Yes." Draco said resolutely almost shocking himself, at some point, unbeknownst to him, he had come to fully trust his fellow travellers and commit to their shared goals.

Pansy gave him a shallow nod and returned to her own food, "We'll see you and Harry for the group then?"

Draco smiled, "You bet."

Neville

Everyone who had a ring would be coming to a large group meeting tonight but Harry had also asked for the four of them to meet up prior to that meeting to discuss something else. Neville had to assume it was what Hannah had hinted at earlier today, his mind was spinning all day trying to think of what it could possibly be. It was a fruitless effort he knew, he would never had expected group time travel as a possibility if someone hinted at it before they found themselves here. Still, he couldn't help his mind from coming with numerous crazy ideas; the one he kept coming back to was that Harry had found proof that they were all dying and suffering a mass delusion. 

He did his best to calm his racing thoughts as he entered the room of requirement and took up his usual spot next to Hannah. Draco and Harry were already there chatting about something he didn't catch as they finished their conversation once he settled in.

Harry nervously turned about the room, looking each of them in the eye and took a deep breath, "I'm just going to get right into it." Harry began, "As you know, on Samhain I used my Master of Death powers to help some of the ghosts cross the veil." The three of them nodded cautiously, Neville looked over to Hannah who was biting her lip and looking quite anxious. Neville returned his focus to Harry as he prepared to say whatever was coming next. "I met death." he said clearly. "Like physically saw and spoke to them and, amongst other things, they told me there are 'others' who have been forgotten."

Neville felt his body almost slump against himself in disbelief trying to comprehend what he just heard. Gods. Was Harry saying he met a god? And that there might be more?

Draco had the opposite reaction standing up and pacing back and forth, "So Magic and Time…" Draco trailed off.

"That's my theory yes." Harry replied not needing Draco to finish that thought to know what he was getting at.

"What does that mean for us?" Hannah asked.

"I don't know." Harry said honestly, "I can't…" He struggled to come up with the right words. "I really don't know what to think about any of it and I don't know how much we want to share until we know more. It may not even be relevant to our situation."

"This is more of a mindfuck that the time travel." Neville mumbled.

The four of them paused and then laughed.

"You know if anyone knows something about this it would be-"

"Luna." They all said at the same time.

Harry sighed, "So we all agree to table this until she gets here?" He asked.

"Yes but keep an ear out for any information we might come across."

"Agreed." Draco and Neville replied.

"Okay." Harry said, "I have something else I wanted to bring up before certain people arrive." Everyone returned their attention to Harry as he continued, "I want to free house elves."

"You going all Granger on us?" Draco teased.

Harry ignored the jab and asked him a question instead, "Where do the elves sleep in your family's manor?"

Draco turned pensive as he thought about it, "I- I don't know." he replied.

Harry then turned to Neville who answered guiltily, "I don't know either."

"I met some elves when I was looking at properties earlier," Harry explained, "They were terrified I was going to sack them all for sleeping in the main area of the house after not seeing a human for over a hundred years. I asked them to show me where they would sleep otherwise and they lead me to…" He took a deep breath, "It was worse than my closet." Harry whispered. 

"Okay." Draco said evenly. "So what exactly do you want to do?"

Harry looked at him in surprise, Neville also wasn’t expecting Draco to be the first to acquiesce. Draco simply shrugged and gave Harry a sly smirk. " Only an idiot would stand in your way when you're this determined to do something."

Harry smiled, "Speaking from experience are you?' He teased, Draco snickered. "I don't really have much to go on." Harry continued, "They mentioned they were bonded to the family magic and would forsake their own if they left."

Draco nodded, "That’s the usual contract, a wizarding family can release an elf from a contract leaving them with their magic, however, if an elf chooses to leave without permission the contract will prevent them from using most of their magic."

"How does that work?"

"I'm not sure, the contract isn't a physical thing it gets embedded into a family's magic over many generations. I'm not sure my father even knows how it really works."

"You would have held the Black family contract when you turned seventeen last time right?" Neville asked.

"I wasn't really paying attention to it." Harry said sadly.

"As far as I know my dad dismissed all our families elves during the war. I don't recall noticing anything in particular when I turned seventeen either, sorry Harry." Hannah added.

Harry sighed, "It's okay, it's not a top priority, but if you can keep an ear out for anything about this contract I'd really appreciate it."

"Of course, I'll speak with my Gran about making sure our families elves are well treated and cared for." Neville said.

"I'll see what I can do with my Father." Draco agreed, "And I'll talk to Theo and Blaise about it too, we can probably get most of our dorm to advocate with their families."

Harry smiled, "Thanks guys."

"I do need to ask though, what makes it different this time around?" Draco asked. 

"What do you mean?"

"Well Granger did try this before right? As I recall they didn’t want saving, so what's your plan there?"

Harry frowned, "They should have a choice to work or to leave." He said, "No one should be forced to choose between servitude and exile."

"I'm not disagreeing with you Harry." Draco replied, "But what do they think about it?"

Harry bit his lip "I think they were mostly confused."

Draco nodded, "Then your job is to talk to them, help them figure out what they want to fight for. Then we can help them get it."

Harry nodded, "Okay."

"Adding it to the list?" Hannah teased.

Harry scrunched his nose, "I hate you all."

"Love you too." Hannah said with a smile, "Should I go grab Amelia now or do we have more secrets to discuss?"

Harry smiled back, "No more bombs from me."