The Potters
Harry has packed and repacked his bags seven times. Never has his bedroom been so clean unless you count the times Sookie sneaks in to clean while Nia's not looking. It seemed like a fair rule when they moved in, while Harry doesn't have to do chores anymore. Especially with the slave work he had been doing it still isn't right to rely on Sookie for everything. It's fair that at the very least he keep his own room tidy even if Sirius usually tries to bribe Sookie or Dobby to have them do his anyway. Good thing It's extremely hard to bribe a house elf.
"Are you ready Hero?" Nia asks from the doorway realising that just standing there watching was kinda creepy.
"Almost, should I bring my broom?"
"I'm sure your Dad has spares, I think they're still in the basement actually. Best to bring as little future stuff as possible. If we accidentally leave something behind, who knows what the butterfly effect will be."
"Butterfly? Nevermind. I'm ready." Harry decides shaking with nerves. Sookie, Dobby, Sirius and Remus are waiting outside to lead them to the Tree that was planted early Nineteen seventy nine. Severus was supposed to be here but after their last argument. Sev had left the potion and his letter for Lily on Nia's desk yesterday without so much as a word.
"We had a lot of wards on the house back then so one of us should come out to greet you, or threaten you depending on if they, we think you look like lost muggles that stumbled onto the property." Sirius tells them, hugging them both tightly. Remus is tight lipped.
"We'll be okay Moony."
"I know, doesn't mean there won't be consequences.'' He responds and Nia rolls her eyes pulling him into a hug as well.
"Whatever it is we can handle it. You two however. Nia pulls out her journal and takes out Petunia's page, ripping it in half.
Last time she left Petunia's body she was unconscious and didn't actually feel it. This time she felt like an incorporeal ghost falling out of the blonde woman who faints into Remus's arms. Sirius helps a now solid and peaceful minded Nia up off the ground.
"Have fun with her. Don't let her near Snape she's jonesing for him. Speaking of Sookie, could you talk to Sev about giving our address to Harper Snow. I want her to be here when we get back." Sookie quickly agrees with tears in her eyes. Nia takes the time portkey potion from her bag and holds her breath. "Hero, care to do the honours?" She asks, too nervous to do it herself. Harry takes the phial and Nia's hand before pouring the entire contents onto the tree trunk.
"Ready?" He asks just as nervous as Nia feels. For all her cockiness this is a big risk.
"Ready." She lies and they both take hold of the trunk. The time portkey feels nothing like the regular portkey she wears to get to Hogwarts. She can feel Harry's hand in hers and the bark beneath the other but she can see time turning backwards. The sun setting and rising, the moon going through a full cycle in barely a second until it suddenly stops. The surroundings don't look any different but they're on the very edge of the property.
"Did it work?" Harry asks, hesitantly taking his hand off the tree.
"I suppose we should find out. Let's go say Hello." The cheeriness in Nia's voice is fake and Harry knows it but thankfully doesn't call her on it as he follows her back towards the Manor.
Sirius is the one to greet them. Hand on hip near his wand smiling cautiously. Any doubts on whether or not the potion worked dissipate as she looks at her friend. He's so young, younger than she is if only by a year. If she thought he was handsome as a middle aged ex convict this rebellious but clearly well bred young man would have been enough to make her weak in the knees in another life.
"Hello lovely, are you and your son lost, James?" Young Sirius gets distracted by Harry and how similar he looks to the man inside. Let's do this, she squeezes Harry's hand encouragingly before putting on her best, I'm smarter than you so you should do as I say look.
"Hey Padfoot, you were pretty in your prime. My name is Nia Hope, only Harry really calls me Nia. This is Harry James Potter and we're from the future fourteen years to be exact. Can we come in, we have quite a bit to discuss." Sirius pulls out his wand aiming directly at her and calls for James.
Harry goes entirely still when his father walks out of the house, wand in hand. They look every bit the part of father and son. James dark brown eyes and scruffy chin notwithstanding. James doesn’t notice Harry at first, partially because Nia is in front of him due to the wand pointed in their direction and partially because he's sharing a meaningful look with his best friend. "Everything alright Sirius?" Even his voice is like Harry's except just a bit deeper.
"Look at the kid James. She's saying they're from the future." James looks at Harry and his face becomes unreadable; he could be a clone right down to the same pair of round glasses. James’s are in pristine condition, Harry’s less so.
“I’m Harry, This is my, fairy Godmother? Her name is Nia. It’s really good to see you Dad.” Harry says far more calmly than Nia expected until he throws his arms around James in a hug. To his credit James doesn’t freak out and hex him, Nia manages to make eye contact as James processes what’s happening and hugs his son back just as fiercely.
Harry pulls back with tears in his eyes as he pushes his glasses back. "You look just like me except," James says I awe.
"I've got my mother's eyes. Everyone always says." Harry can't help himself but actually cries as his father stares at him in wonder.
"Good thing too, if it had flipped the other way he would have gotten lost in the Weasley brood." Nia laughs to remind them she's here. "Can we come in? I'm unarmed and you can take Harry's wand."
"Aunt Nia!" Harry objects and James stares at Nia trying to assess if he can trust her on looks alone. Yet another reason Harry had to come. She needs him to get her foot in the door.
"What's more likely their foetus son time travelling from the future or a Potions Master who knew Janes as a child kept a piece of his hair from third year and gave the death eaters a polyjuice potion and green contacts?" Begrudgingly Harry pulls out his wand and hands it to James.
"I hate Snape." He mutters and James cracks a smile.
"Come on in then, Sookie's making tea." James grins running ahead. "Lil's you will not believe who's come for tea!" Nia hangs back and squeezes Harry's hand reassuringly again. maybe it was a little for her as well.
In the living room Moony is sitting reading a book, while Lily sits with her legs on his lap reading another.
"Were we expecting guest's?" she asks not looking up from her book.
"Uh, no but they have a good excuse. Lils meet our son." James is like an excited Labrador while Lily is eyeing them down like a cranky cat. A match made in heaven, or for heaven. That's not funny.
"We don't have a son." She says like he's insane until she spots Harry.
"Not yet, but you should be pregnant around now. Nine months back from the end of July, the end of October, maybe early November." Harry counts on his fingers and Lily shakes her head, face gone white.
"I'm not pregnant." Lily says adamantly but Nia can see the doubt as her hand drops to her still flat stomach.
"Wanna bet?" Nia asks with a grin and Lily runs to the bathroom. Three minutes later letting out an exceedingly loud 'Fuck.'
"I suppose that answers the question of whether or not I was an accident." Harry sighs and Sirius snorts.
"You were born to Nineteen year old newlyweds in the middle of a war. There was no question." She laughs at him and he elbows her lightly in the side.
"Who's the woman?" Remus asks, watching both of them closely. He's so young, they all are but Remus especially looks like he's still waiting for his Puppy teeth to fall out. He's better fed than he is in ninety three, filling out his dorky sweater vest far better than her Moony. She wonder which of the scars she saw are already there before shaking her head to clear it. He gives her a look like he can read her thoughts, which he can't but maybe she should work on her poker face.
"Uh, I don't actually know. He called her Aunt Nia though." James admits
"Nia Hope. I'm his Fairy Godmother, kinda it's complicated but I'm basically Harry's teacher, babysitter and best friend." She explains their relationship loosely and Harry rolls his eyes.
"Ron and Hermione are my best friends. Snape is your best friend, maybe uncle Padfoot." Harry disagrees and Sirius raises a perfectly sculpted eyebrow watching her closely.
"Well he's funny in a snarky way, excellent comedic timing." Nia says as Lily comes out of the bathroom and James lifts her up and kisses her. She's still in shock.
"You're not talking about Snivellus?" Sirius asks more than a little disgusted by the thought but Lily's head pops up at the name.
"Snivellus?" Harry looks like a kid in a candy store after hearing the nickname come out of Sirius's mouth and Nia groans.
"Harry, if you ever call him that, I will give you detention till you're thirty. You're not going to get him to hate you less by using the name your father bullied him with." The Marauders are watching the interaction with fascination as though reading their relationship. Nia finally notices on of the merry band are missing. Where's Peter?
"Lils, do you have any Veritaserum?" James asks his wife.
"That isn't a good idea. For one, Magic doesn't work on me, so it'll be useless and two if Harry reveals anything I don't okay first under the potion it could completely derail the future." Nia responds by taking a seat on the floral loveseat that in fourteen years will be a deep royal purple instead. Harry looks around awkwardly, not making eye contact with his parents before taking the seat next to her.
"However I have been answering timeline sensitive questions for three years so you can ask me anything you need to to verify our claim and whenever your ready Lily Sev asked me to give you this." Nia takes the letter from her bag and places it on the coffee table.
"What's the password to the Marauders Map?" Remus asks and Nia grins, pulling up her right sleeve to reveal a tattoo that reads.
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good." In a flowing scroll with human footprints going in and animal footprints coming out.
"That's excellent." James says with awe.
"When did you get that?" Harry asks with furrowed brows, oh right she forgot to show him.
"Padfoot designed it for my birthday, you know he actually drew the map and did all his own Tattoo's. " Nia answers and the Marauders present share a silent conversation.
"Why should I read anything From Severus?" Lily asks, finally staring at the letter.
"I've been with him the last two and a bit years trying to help him be a better man. Nothing can excuse who he is right now and I do not try to. But he's been helping me watch over Harry for years, if a bit begrudgingly but you know Sev. What's the fun in doing something if you can't complain the whole time." She smiles at Lily who thinks a moment longer before folding the letter and putting it in her pocket.
"Why are you here? Time travel is dangerous." Remus asks and Nia takes a deep breath.
"Essentially in my attempts to redeem Severus of his shitty behavior of the late seventies to early nineties. Which so far is a rousing success by the way. When was the last time Sev gave you a detention Hero?"
"Last week but it was deserved. I said if he let me hand my homework in late I'd give him one of your bras." Harry responds and Nia's eyebrows hit the ceiling
"Harry!"
"What? His crush on you is gross and hilarious. I can't help but make fun of it." Harry defends himself badly and Sirius and James both look thrilled that Harry is a marauder through and through.
"Your son's inability to respect authority aside, because of Sev's new and improved attitude. I lost our spy for when the next war starts. I'm here to save an otherwise inconsequential figure to act in what was Sev's role, except working for me not Dumbledore who i do not trust." She gives the spoiler free version of her plan and the Marauders look in various states of concern.
"What do you mean next war?" Lily is the one to ask and Nia gives a tight smile.
"Well Voldy goes missing cause Harry's a badass. Then he comes back because Dumbledore's a fuckwit. I'm working on stopping it but I'm not that powerful so I'd prefer to have all my bases covered." She answers, hoping the Q and A portion of this will be over soon because Harry is being so patient.
"Because of Harry?" Lily asks, instantly worried. Talk about maternal instinct; she's only known she's pregnant for two minutes.
"I'm the chosen one." Harry answers almost sadly and Nia ruffles his hair and pulls him into a comforting side hug.
"It's not so bad. Sixth year all the girls want to date you." She teases focusing more on his emotional state than on the rest of them for a second. He seems calm, for now.
"You said I'm terrible with girls?" he responds and she sees he's doing the same thing. Compartmentalising to focus on the task at hand so he doesn't break down. Yeah he's spent too much time with Nia.
"I did, didn't I?" Nia responds with a smile before turning back to the party with a suggestive eyebrow to Padfoot
"James' son isn't a ladies man, how shocking." Sirius teases his best friend and Lily smiles.
"Who's your spy then?" She asks and Nia bites her lip before meeting Sirius’s eye.
"Regulus Black." His smile drops instantly at his brother's name.
"My idiot little brother? Why?"
"Because in the original timeline he switches sides at the last second and dies trying to weaken Voldy." Nia answers honestly, taking note of the way Sirius flinches. "If he has help on his mission. Your help. He won't die and I'll take him back to the future when we leave so as to not interrupt the timeline." Sirius is shocked for a moment, when he dies speak he only manages one question.
"Reggie's gonna die?"
"By the twelfth of this month. Unless I have my way, and I usually do."
"She's telling the truth." Harry adds "Nia is like a battering ram squarely backed in my corner. The only person who's ever stopped her getting something she wants is Dumbledore."
"He's only delayed me, I will beat the old man. That's where Reg comes in. So does that mean you guys believe us?" Lily stands up and walks to them kneeling in front of Harry with perfectly matching green eyes. Harry's about to cry but holds back.
"Hi Mum." Harry's voice cracks as he says It and he can't hold it anymore flinging himself into her arms.
"Careful kid, she's pregnant, don't wanna hurt yourself." Nia laughs at Sirius's joke as she watches Harry melt into his mother's arms. Her heart breaks to know that they have to go back at the end of the month.
"We're in. What's the plan?" James answers for the Marauders and Nia grins. Harry listens with newly rapt attention and Nia turns to him.
"Hero, you're staying here with Lily so why don't you go get some dinner?" She says pointedly and he glares backs at her trying to get rid of him using his Mum against him.
"You call him Hero?" James asks softly and Harry blushes with embarrassment without breaking his gaze from Nia.
"He keeps saving the day. It's pretty accurate." She explains and notes Harry still glaring at her. "We can argue about you not coming along later, but right now it is tactical stuff so why don't you tell your parents about how you got on the quidditch team." Finally Harry nods and both Sirius and Remus follow Nia to another lounge area. Pro's of a mansion. Once out of earshot of both Harry and his parents Nia focuses on her plan.
"Can you reach out to your brother, a vague letter to make sure he knows you're here for him. Bring up kreacher so he'll at least be worried enough that you know about his plan to get him to see you." She asks and Sirius nods solemnly.
"I can think of a couple things that might work." He doesn't sound confident but Remus squeezes Sirius's hand reassuringly. Nia's happy to see them so comfortable. Even with the morning she walked in on still haunting her dirty dreams Remus is still adjusting to Sirius being back, it's awkward to say the least.
"Next is the mission itself. There's a cave by the sea that Tom Riddle visited as a child. Inside there's a locket in a bowl full of poison surrounded by inferi, locked with a spell that requires blood to open."
"I assume Tom Riddle is Voldemort's real name?" Remus clarifies and Nia nods. "What's so important about the locket?" There's the million dollar question.
"It's a Horcrux." They both gasp in unison and Sirius in particular looks disgusted. Remus steels himself into research mode and heads to the library Nia and Sirius following along.
"So we find the cave, get past the bloodgate, Inferi and poison, how do you destroy a Horcrux?" The Potters are not dark magic practitioners, the likelihood of them having anything on Horcruxes is low.
"Damage the container beyond magical repair." Sirius answers, no doubt Grimmauld Place's library is far better stocked in that aspect.
I know Fiendfyre and Basilisk venom work based on the two I've already helped destroy." Nia adds gaining an impressed look from Padfoot.
"Fiendfyre is too dangerous. And where are we supposed to find Basilisk venom?" Remus ignores before stopping as he processes what she said.
“I have some in ninety three, Harry and I Befriended the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets while fighting another Horcrux." The injury on Nia's leg pangs as it always does when she thinks about that fight.
“Okay, Padfoot will get word to Regulus and hopefully arrange a meeting. We’ll work on the plan. Do you know where the cave is?”
“England, by the seaside. There’s an orphanage Voldemort went to that took the children there in the summer. The orphanage will be in the Hogwarts files, can Sookie get them?” she suggest really not wanting to deal with Dumbledore right now. She's manages to avoid him the entire first term of school and will have to Argue with him again when they get back with an eighteen year old Regulus.
“I’ll ask James,” Remus promises taking out books on Inferi Blood Wards and going to the potions section. "Do you know the poison?"
"Drink of Despair. I should be immune so I'm happy to be the one to drink. Especially since I don't have any offensive magic, mainly illusionary." Sirius has gotten paler with each breath and Remus turns to him cupping his face and placing a kiss on his forehead. He's so soft. Post Azkaban Sirius may be fragile but he'd never show it like this instead he'd turn into Padfoot so he doesn't have to process his emotions.
“I’m not gonna let him die, Padfoot, I promise.” Nia says before taking a breath. "You just need to deal with getting us out alive because being drowned by Inferi is not the way I want to go."