2/12/1979
Nia wakes in her bed at Fleamont Manor and takes a second to remember why something feels off about it. It isn't until a tween Sookie appears with a breakfast tray does she wake up enough to remember.
"Sookie! You're so little!" Nia says a bit too loudly if the high shriek the house elf gives is anything to go by. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to frighten you." She corrects quickly as the events of yesterday come back. Nineteen seventy nine. Sookie is maybe ten years old and clearly missing some of the confidence Nia's friend has in their own time.
"Sookie isn't frightened, Miss Hope. Sookie brings breakfast as Miss Hope missed dinner." Nia cringes as she remembers exactly why she missed dinner last night.
Lily and James Potter led Nia to the second master suite silently. Harry had looked upset when she arrived and she was struggling to keep her cool about it. No one hurts her Harry.
"I'm sure this is a lot to process but I need to make something clear. He may be your son biologically but Harry is everything to me. I don't know what you said to him but," Nia doesn't know where she was going with the threat but Lily cut her off before she managed.
"Why do you even have him? If James and I are dead he should have gone to Sirius and Remus. Or Peter and Marlene. Not some random creature we've never met before. Why should we trust you with our son when for all we know you kidnapped him." Lily is blunt and aggressive and Nia wonders if this is how Dumbledore feels when she talks to him.
"There are extenuating circumstances for all mentioned people. Dumbledore in his infinite wisdom left Harry with Petunia. I saved him and yes some may call it kidnapping but everything we do Harry has final say. I'm not just a creature. My entire existence is to protect Heroes of light magic heroes like Harry." She responds and James is looking between them like he's waiting for a fight to break out.
"So we are dead." Lily responds and Nia realises that was the point of Lily's accusation. Sneaky witch, Nia respects it.
"Yes. If it helps at all, you die Heroes but I'm afraid that's all I can tell you."
"Why? Why can you save Reggie but not us?" James asks and he looks so much like Harry when he's trying to look brave.
"In my time Regulus went missing in the middle of December but no one on either side knows exactly what happened to him except Kreacher and me but I know everything so it doesn't count. The two of you, your death marks the end of the war if I were to save you, I can't guarantee Harry will live let alone the rest of the world and as I said. Harry is everything to me so I'm sorry but I won't risk him." Lily and James can't be blamed for walking away from Nia without another word. Just as Nia can't be blamed for hiding in her room the rest of the night. She'd said all she needed to today. Harry deserves this time with his Family.
"Miss Hope?" The young Sookie asks, breaking Nia from her daze.
"I'm sorry, what was that?"
"Master Harry asked to see you when you woke up." Nia thanks Sookie and asks for her to let him in. She disapparates and Harry slinks in making himself comfortable on her bed stealing some of her toast.
"They not feed you or something?" Harry doesn't answer, instead just nibbles on his toast, his gaze far away. Nia eats in silence as she waits for him to say what he's thinking.
"I don't think my Mum wants me." He finally says and Nia drops her tray and hugs him.
"Of course she does. She's just scared. Your mother loves you more than anything Harry."
"Not yet. She Can't look me in the eyes." He's struggling not to cry as he squeezes her tightly. Fuck this is not how thisbwas supposed to go.
"It's been a day and she didn't even know she was pregnant and now you're sharing breakfast and talking about quidditch. She just needs time to get to know you and then she will love you. What's not to love. You're brave and kind and smart. Not to mention a badass. We have a month to get her comfortable with you but we can't do that hiding in here. I'm gonna go get ready for the day, if you want to wait in here we'll face them together okay?" He nods, pulling his wand from his pocket to conjure a sketch pad and pencil to entertain himself while Nia showers.
When she's dressed and ready Harry's almost done a sketch of the Marauders as they are today with more than please water smudge.
"Ready Hero?"
"No, let's go anyways."
They find Remus and Sirius first, they don't see them as they are slightly distracted by having their tongues down eachothers throats and Sirius's legs wrapped around Remus as he puns him to the wall. Nia covers Harry's face quickly.
"There are eight bedrooms in the house go find one of them instead of traumatising the child." She says loudly and Remus unceremoniously drops his boyfriend with a comical thud. The smug look doesn't leave Padfoots face though, for fucks sake Sirius. Moony has the decency to be embarrassed his entire face flushed red.
"Sorry Harry, got distracted it's safe to look now." Sirius says not sorry at all as he picks himself up and readjust his we'll say belt.
"'I'm not sure it'll ever be safe again." Harry mutters walking off towards the kitchen probably in search of bleach to erase that from memory. Nia just grins.
"I assume this is what my Moony said about not judging his younger counterpart. Not that age mellows you any, that was nothing compared to what I've seen." She says with a wink before catching up to Harry.
"Could have been worse," she nudges his shoulder with an Evil grin. "Could've been your parents." Harry makes a disgusted face and Nia laughs. They find Lily in the potions lab,
"What are you making?" Harry asks and Lily looks down at the ingredients she's chopping like they're going to explode.
"Pregnancy supplements. Molly swears by them. Molly Weasleys that is she's a friend of ours."
"I know the Weasleys. My best friend Ron is her youngest boy, he's a bit older so she'd be pregnant with him now as well." Harry responds and Lily pulls her lips into a tight smile.
"She was so sure it's a girl this time." Lily laughs but it's forced. She really is uncomfortable.
"One more try. Ginny Weasley's the baby of the family and in love with Harry, the first of many, well second." Harry looks at Nia abruptly.
"There's someone else in love with me? Who?"
"Spoilers. They'll tell you when they're ready."
"You said all my romantic interests were on the quidditch team, are they already on their team?" He remembers way too much and is getting excellent at asking questions.
"Yes, no more questions you aren't allowed to date till you're fifteen anyway."
"That's a bit harsh. I was fourteen." Lily laughs and looks at Nia and Harry.
"He'll be too busy next year. We have a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it."
"Where's Dad?" Harry asks changing the subject from his love life.
"The quidditch pitch, he brought an extra broom down if you wanted to join him." Lily answers and Harry grins turning to Nia for permission. She nods and he goes running.
"Harry's worried you don't want him I told him you just needed time but you seem wary. I know it's a lot but he is your son."
"Then why does he seem more like yours?" Lily responds by summoning a letter into Nia's hands.
Lily,
I know you may never read this. Who I was then was unforgivable. The things I did and said to you. To others out of anger I know I'm not a good man,I never was and the only person who ever thought I could be was you. I am so sorry for what happened between us, you were everything I had and I treated you like you were nothing. I can't begin to tell you how much I wish I could take it back.
When a woman claiming to be your sister started teaching at Hogwarts I didn't know what to make of her. She looked just as I always imagined your sister would grow up to look, proud and immaculate without a hair out of place. The way she acted, still acts. Familiar yes, but it isn't Petunia.
Her story explained it at first glance. You used your last breath to help your son by giving her the guidance she needed to help him. But her smile, the way she gets angry at me when my mocking goes too far. It's all you Lily so I did some digging on possession.
She's immune to magic but the Diary still took control. A possessed or formerly possessed body is more vulnerable to attacks of the same kind as it's mental defences have already been broken through.
I know it's a long shot but Evans makes me feel I can be better in a way only you could so if I'm right. If you are Lily. Please, give me a chance to make things right.
Always
Severus.
Nia sits silently for a long moment. "He thinks I'm you?" The conversation with the sorting hat plays at the end of June plays in Nia's mind. 'Any clues as to what he (Dumbledore) thinks.' 'Nothing correct yet.' They both think I'm Lily.
"Are you possessing my sister?"
"Yes. She has given me permission though. I needed to get Custody of Harry somehow."
"I thought Severus was you're friend but you're lying to him"
"He knows I'm hiding something. I can't risk Dumbldore finding out and undoing all my work."
"What makes you think your better than Dumbledore."
"Because Albus wants to make Harry a Martyr. His plan has Harry walking to his death before he turns eighteen and I will not let that happen."
"How am I supposed to speak to him when he already has a mother that isn't me?"
"Because I'm not his Mother. I've done my best to fill the role for him but every year we visit your grave and wmhe wishes he could have you back. Now he finally has a chance to know you and you won't even look at him. Harry has one month with you and that's it for the rest of his life. Don't waste it. You can freak out in the new year but it's Christmas, let him have it with his family."
"You're a tiny bit aggressive you know that?"
"I've threatened enough people that I've come to that conclusion, yes." Nia smiles her signature I win smile as a Phoenix patronus flies in.
"The Order will meet eleven sharp tonight at Hogwarts, I've found I have the oddest craving for gummy bears." The Patronus then disappears. Did it just say craving, what an odd choice of wording.
"Have fun with that, I hope it goes without saying not to mention us, not everyone in the order can be trusted,"
"And you can?" Lily mutters under her breath.
"I'm not the one acting as Dumbledore's puppet." Nia responds with a smirk and Lily glares. Oh this is fun, Nia must have spent too much time with Petunia for them to be butting heads this much. Lily finishes her potion and stalks upstairs without another word. This is going well.
Hope makes her way to the valley Harry and company use for quidditch arriving just as Harry and his father make a steep nose dive after the snitch Lily and Remus are there cringing as they brace for impact. James pulls out first maybe eight feet from the ground. Harry gets three before catching the Snitch and pulling out of the dive staying gliding across the ground. He spots Nia and Lily and grins doing a front flip off his broom, something he only just learnt over Summer.
"Show off!" Nia accuses and Harry laughs as James, Lily and Remus cheer.
"That was excellent Harry, amazing you've gotta teach me that!" James picks Harry up in a hug and twirls him around both of them laughing. Lily smiles at her husband and son genuinely and pretends not to notice Hope watching her.
"Where's Padfoot?"
"He was making out with Remus in the Hallway, are they always like that?" Harry answers with a disgusted look on his face.
"Worse, sharing a dorm in fifth year onward was not fun." James answers with a chuckle.
"Are we sure we want Uncle Moony to move in when we get back home?" Harry jokes and Nia rolls her eyes.
"It was his house first," she answers and Harry shrugs as James walks over and kisses his wife deeply. She's all red and flustered when he pulls aways.
"James," she scolds breathlessly and James smiles this cocky smile and ruffles Harry's hair.
"Figure we should give him all the embarrassing parent memories while we can right?" He responds and turns to Nia's acceptance in his eyes. The eyes of a young man that knew he wasn't likely to survive the war anyway. "Sookie took Regulus the letter this morning. She said he took it but told her to tell Sirius some not so nice things she cried repeating them and Remus has been trying to distract him since."
"Thank you. I know it's a lot to ask but it'll help so much in the coming war." Nia smiles and checks in on Harry again who's watching his Mum and Dad holding hands with a smile.
"You good here Hero, I think I should apologise to Padfoot on Reggie's behalf."
"How are you going to manage to turn Regulus good? He's not in love with you like Snape is." Harry questions with no tact.
"One, Snape is not in love with me. He thinks I'm someone else and is in love with her, if he knew I was actually barely twenty he'd probably throw up, he hates young people. Two. Reg already has a halfblood daughter and is about to see Voldemort for exactly who he is. He'll come to us for help, he just needed to know it was an option." Nia answers and for the first time Lily looks like she agrees.
"You have a lot of faith for having never met him." Is all the redhead said and Nia meets her familiar green eyes.
"To quote a great but yet to be written series, 'I have a soft spot in my heart for cripples, bastards and broken things.' If possible I will always help the people who need it, even if they don't know how to ask. I'm so sorry I can't help you." Harry walks over to his mother and takes her hand squeezing it lightly. Lily and Nia stare at each other for a moment longer before Nia breaks eye contact to look at Harry.
"Give Uncle Padfoot a hug for me." Harry smiles and Nia walks back to the Manor. The boys had relocated to their room When Nia knocks on the door.
"Who is it?"
"Hope." She answers and there's a sound that was suspiciously like Remus warning Sirius before Padfoot calls she can come in.
"They're both naked modesty only covered by a thin blanket and Remus looks like he wants to do less than holy things to Sirius both out of annoyance and something else.
"You know when people knock it's usually to give you time to put pants on."
"We're only going to take them off again, moony's insatiable this close to the moon." Sirius answers and Remus pinches his side. "It's not like she's complaining." He complains and Nia scoffs.
"Dumbles called an Order meeting tonight, probably to do with the moon, if my timeline is right he'll have you undercover in wolf packs from nowish."
"Delightful." Remus groans running his hands through his hair making the blanket slip ever so slightly Nia's eye's don't linger on the revealed V lines on both of them and Sirius's cocky smile is based on something else shut up.
"Anyway, I Uh, James told me what happened this morning. I'm sorry you had to hear that." The smile disappears.
"I expected it. I don't really get why you're so convinced he'll come around. He's made his feelings clear."
"He's still a kid. You both are and Regulus feels isolated and tied to his fate. He'll read your letter when he's at his lowest moment and we'll help pick him back up. It's what family does."
"You're maybe a year older than us," Remus says to the kid statement and Nia laughs.
"True enough, though I am an all knowing mythical being of Magic. Plus the only person currently wearing pants."
"That can be fixed."
"Padfoot. We met her yesterday." Moony's tone is low and warning and more than a little hot. This was so not the point of the trip but Nia can get behind the detour.
"Don't act like you weren't looking." Sirius responds and Remus blushes slightly as he meets Hope's shocked gaze.
"Time and place Sirius." He doesn't denying it and Nia's mouth goes dry. Okay, that's what Remus meant about not judging him for his younger selves actions, it has to be. Holy fuck what do they do that makes Remus avoid her the first term of classes?
"Not what I came in here for. I just wanted to apologise, I know how hard your childhood was and forcing you to reach out to Regulus must bring up a lot. I know you don't know me yet but one day we're gonna be good friends. You once told me I have a way of speaking that makes hard things easier and I'm here for you if you want. Harry also said to give you a hug from him but I think I'll wait till you have pants on." With that odd experience over Nia goes into the library to focus on anything else but the implications of it.