Chapter Text
Prologue
Teddy knew there was a reason he and Dad didn't come to wizarding London very often, but looking around the gigantic marble building, he was having a hard time remembering what it was.
"Stop gawking," Dad said, but he was grinning as he said it. "People are going to think I never take you anywhere."
"But seeing magic is different!" He looked up, trying and failing to read the moving golden symbols on the ceiling. Did someone write them all? Or did they just appear on their own?
"Woah, there. Watch where you're going." Dad grabbed his shoulder and pulled him out of the way of a witch in navy robes carrying a large stack of papers.
"Oh, sorry about that," the woman said. "I just been in such a--" She broke off as she glanced at Dad's face. "Oh! You're--!"
"Excuse us," Dad said in a rush. "We've got an appointment." He grabbed both Teddy's shoulders this time and directed him further down the hall. Teddy winced. Dad never liked it when people recognized him.
"Do you know where we're going?" Teddy whispered.
"Nope," he whispered back.
"Just checking." He noticed a couple wizards standing around talking and pointed. "I'll go ask them."
"It's okay, Ted, we can--"
"I don't mind!" He dashed over to the two wizards. "Excuse me, do you know where Mr. Shacklebolt's office is?"
Neither wizard even glanced at him. "Down three floors and take a left."
He smirked as he walked back over to Dad. "See?"
Dad rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Come on, you little rascal."
They took the lift down, and when the doors opened, a familiar face was waiting for them.
"Aunt Luna!" Teddy ran out, throwing his arms around her.
She hugged him tight. "Good to see you too. Hello, Harry."
"Hello, Luna. Thanks for coming."
"Of course. I always enjoy a chance to speak with goblins. They don't much like sharing secrets with human wizards, but my great grandmother was good friends with several goblins and said they have the best recipes."
Teddy was excited to meet the goblins. Dad mostly used muggle banks, but now that he was finally going to start Hogwarts this year, Dad said they needed to set up his accounts and get money for his books and supplies, but since they weren't allowed at Gringotts, Mr. Shacklebolt had offered to let them borrow his office to speak to the goblins. Aunt Luna was coming because someone needed to make sure everybody was nice to each other, and she was the only person that Dad and the goblins liked.
Someone called his name and he turned around. To his surprise, no one was there.
Then he heard it again.
Teddy.
He took a step down the hallway, but still saw no one. "Hello?"
Teddy, I've missed you.
His chest tightened and he couldn't breathe. "Mum?" Somehow, he knew it was her.
Teddy.
It wasn't just her this time. There were other voices now, layered together. His father, grandfather, grandma--
"Teddy! What are you--?"
He hadn't even realized he was running until he heard Dad's voice cut off as he rounded a corner. He didn't slow, though. Dad would catch up in a minute, and he had to find them!
There were no people down this hallway, and as it grew darker and darker, he couldn't blame them for staying away. He'd probably be scared too if it weren't for his family's voices growing louder every second.
We love you.
Several doors laid in a ring around him. Every one looked identical, as though that might stop him. He burst through the door the voices came from, having just a second to wonder why it wasn't locked before he saw it.
A great, stone doorway with a shimmering silver veil covering it.
"Teddy, stop!" He turned, finding Dad and Aunt Luna both running through the door after him, and he beamed at them.
"Can't you hear them? They're here!" He loved his Dad, so much, but there was so much of their family that was missing, and he knew it hurt Dad as much as it hurt him. "Come on, they're waiting for us!"
"No! Teddy, it'll kill you!"
He whipped around, startled by the panic in Dad's voice, but his shoe skidded on the stone platform. His stomach dropped, and the last thing he heard was Dad's scream as he fell through the veil.
Chapter 1
When Luna woke, she was home.
She hadn't thought she would wake up. Then again, thought had little to do with what drove her to run straight after Harry though the veil.
It must not have been the same veil, she decided. When Harry's godfather fell, he had disappeared, while they had clearly been found and--what? Taken home? She wished they hadn't. Her magic felt strange and she wanted to ask a healer about it.
She sat up, closing her eyes agains the dizziness from the oddness of her magic--
No, not hers. It was the magic around her. The magic of the house. It almost felt like home, the way it had before it burned down during the war. She frowned. And why was she in the kitchen? Surely if Unspeakables had brought her home, Father would have taken her back to her room.
"Ah, Luna, dear, you're up early," Father called as he stepped into the room. "Is everything alright?"
"No," she said slowly, "something is decidedly odd."
He stopped in front of her, peering down with a strange expression on his face. "Dear me. Did you get older overnight?"
What an odd question. Then again, one never knew what they would get when working with strange magic. "I don't believe so." Something seemed strange about him as well. She tilted her head to see if another angle revealed it. "Though it might seem that way because you've gotten younger."
"Hmm." He shook his head as he took her hand and helped her up. "No, I don't believe that's it either. What a strange puzzle this is."
"Oh, do we have guests?" A small voice said from the living room door. They both whipped around to look at the girl leaning against the door frame.
"Luna?" Not-quite Father asked in a choked voice, then turned back to Luna. "But then . . .?"
"Oh dear," Luna said.
Not-Father made tea, which was a relief.
Luna sat back in her chair at the table and closed her eyes, reveling in the feel of the house around her. Now that she knew why it felt different, she could enjoy the way it settled around her. It was like having an old friend back.
"How did you get here?" Not-Father asked as the tea tray clicked against the table. She opened her eyes.
"The Department of Mysteries. It was an accident." Not following Teddy through the veil, but letting him go through in the first place.
Then again, was it really? There should have been guards, spells, wards stopping anyone from getting anywhere near the Department of Mysteries, especially a boy not even old enough to attend Hogwarts yet. And yet, even when Voldemort had been leading them into a trap, it had been harder for them to get in.
A teacup was placed in front of her, and she realized she had been silent for several minutes. Thankfully, the pair sitting across from her didn't mind.
Realizing she was no longer quite so lost in her thoughts, Not-Father asked, "is there something wrong?"
"Actually, I don't believe it was an accident. I believe we were sent here to fix things." Harry wasn't going to like this at all, and she could hardly blame him. She looked down, and her voice came out as a whisper when she said, "and I don't know that we'll be able to return."
Father was always the only person who truly understood her, so it didn't surprise her at all when his younger counterpart laid his hand over hers and said, "he will understand." He turned to the little Luna beside him. "My Luna, will you go gather some dirigible plums for our guest?"
"Yes, Father." The little girl slid out of her seat and out the door.
Once she was out of earshot, he squeezed Luna's hand. "My dear, it has not been that long for me since your mother--" He cut himself off abruptly, turning away as he blinked away tears. "My point is, as much as it hurt, I was not surprised when your mother was taken from us. She was never content to leave things be. For her, it was always a question of why things happened and what might be done to change it. And my darling . . ." He reached up, cupping her cheek in his hand. "You were always so like your mother."
She blinked, the movement sending the tears running down her face. She laid her own hand over his. "I am sorry."
He smiled sadly, knowing the words weren't meant for him. "And he will know that."
He sat back in his chair, casting a quick warming charm on her now-cool tea. "Now, what first needs to be done?"
She smiled, clearing away her tears. "I need to find Harry Potter."
The question was, where to find him?
Father had instilled in her from a very young age that intent was the most important part of magic, but while the intention of whatever magic sent them back in time sent her home, that still raised a very important question: what was home for Harry?
Of course, the answer was easy enough. Teddy as his home, and had been from the moment he'd held the boy in his arms, as anyone with eyes could see. But Teddy had travelled with him, which still left several options. It could be the place he felt most connected to, or the place he lived now, but she suspected that wasn't the case. Magic this complex tended to be very literal, so she thought the most likely option was that it sent him back to the place he lived in 1991.
The disillusionment charm was easy enough to cast, and in a muggle neighborhood, no one noticed the sound of her footsteps or the breeze cast from her robes. Harry had never mentioned the house he grew up in, but Ron had a few times, with only minimal prompting from a bottle of firewhiskey. That, combined with all the articles speculating on "The Chosen One's Childhood" made it easy enough to find.
She hesitated outside the door, wondering how best to handle this. Should she go inside? Could Harry still be here? If he wasn't, his apparition would have left a magical signature, but it would be best to catch him before he left so she didn't loose him again.
While she was deliberating, a loud crash came from the window closest to her, along with a small, stifled cry. With a gasp, she darted over, catching sight of a tiny Harry standing on a stool to reach the stove. He clutched his hand, silent tears spilling down his face as he bit his lip.
She was no longer hesitating. Her charm fell away, and she cast a nonverbal alohamora before barreling through the door of number four Privet Drive.
When Vernon had gone to bed last night, everything was right and normal with the world. When he woke up, however--
Petunia screamed, and he shot up, scrambling out of bed. "What? What is it?" he shouted, searching for his wife. She screamed again, leading him to the kitchen. He ran in, then drew up short at the sight of a strange woman standing beside the stove.
"What are you doing in my house?!"
The woman ignored him, focusing instead on the small form she was kneeling in front of. He glowered as he realized it was the boy she was paying so much attention to. He had spilled the pan of eggs, it seemed, but instead of bothering to clean it up, he was staring at the strange woman, who had taken his hand and was cradling it in her own.
"Get out before I call the police!" He bellowed, but once again, she ignored him, pulling a long, slender stick from her belt--
The blood drained from his face as he realized what was going on. "You--you're one of those freaks! You're not supposed to be here! We were promised when his parents died that none of your kind would come anywhere near us!"
Now, she looked up. But where he should have felt triumph in finally forcing her to acknowledge him, he only felt a chill run down his spine at the cold look in the woman's eyes. Very slowly and deliberately, she tucked away her wand and stood up. "I see now why he hates bullies so much."
His face twisted. "I don't know what you think you're doing here, but--"
"I'm taking your nephew." The words were light, but no one could mistake them. Vernon was left gaping at her. "I won't let him stay here another minute." She whirled around, turning back to the boy, and held her arm out. "Let's go, Harry."
The boy stared up at her, wide-eyed. "How do you know my name?"
She smiled. "I'm a friend." The boy smiled right back and took her hand.
"Now wait just a minute," Vernon blustered.
"You can't just take him!" Petunia cried. "Dumbledore said--"
The woman's eyes widened, but her face grew, if anything, harder. "I don't really care what Dumbledore said. He's coming with me. Excuse us." She pushed right past them, and strode out the door.
"Wait! You can't--"
But the pair vanished as soon as they set foot out the door. What would the neighbors think, was the last thought that passed through Vernon's mind before his eyes rolled back in his head and he promptly fainted.
Harry woke with only one thought on his mind.
"Teddy!" He shot up, searching for his son.
"Dad?" came the weak response, and Harry nearly collapsed again in sheer relief. Instead he managed to reach for the boy and pull him into his lap. He threw his arms around him and decided he might never let go again.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"
"N--no. I'm okay. What happened?"
Harry squeezed him harder. "You fell through the veil, and I ran in after you. I thought for sure you were--" He cut off, swallowing hard. It didn't matter what he thought. Teddy was fine. He was safe and they were together.
But to his horror, Teddy burst into tears. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--I thought I heard them!" He buried his face in Harry's shoulder, muffling the rest of his words. Harry just let him talk and ran his hand through his hair until he finally slowed down.
"I'm not upset with you," Harry assured him. "But can you tell me what happened? I'm afraid I didn't understand much of what you just said."
Teddy sat up enough for him to see his face and gave a watery chuckle before the smile slid back off his face. "I don't know what happened. I thought I heard my parents and Grandma and Granddad, and I know they all died and magic can't bring them back, but I--I forgot, I guess. And I was just--just sure that if I followed their voices, I could see them!"
Harry's grip tightened around Teddy. What happened to him? Had someone put some sort of charm or enchantment on him? He pulled out his wand. "Let me check something." A few diagnostic spells revealed that anything that might have been influencing him was gone now, which was a relief.
"Am I okay?" Teddy asked quietly, and Harry hugged him again, kissing the top of his head. "Yeah, you're okay."
Teddy took the assurance at face value and pulled out of his arms, climbing to his feet and looking around. Harry would never stop being baffled by the resilience of children. He'd personally outgrown that sometime after dying at seventeen.
"So why are we at your old house?" Teddy asked, spinning around to look at everything. "And why does it all look so different?"
Harry, startled, looked around. He had been too focused on what had almost happened to pay attention to their surroundings, but Teddy was right. They were at Grimmauld Place, but it was empty and musty in a way it hadn't been since he'd inherited it. Admittedly, he hadn't seen it in a while, but surely it couldn't have changed that much.
He heard footsteps on the stairs and realized Teddy had darted up. He sighed. At least he was feeling better.
"Dad! Where did this portrait come from?"
What portrait?, he was just about to ask, but the answer came in the form of a woman's scream. "Filthy half-breeds and blood traitors! How dare you defile the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black--"
Harry took the stairs two at a time before he reached the landing where Teddy stood with his hands clasped over his ears. Harry grabbed his wand. "Silencio!" The screams cut off abruptly and he shoved the curtains closed.
"What was that?" Teddy asked, slowly pulling his hands off his ears.
"That," Harry huffed, "was your great-great aunt." He frowned up at the frame. "And she shouldn't be here anymore. Andy and I definitely destroyed this portrait."
So what was going on?
Then he remembered something much more important. "We're going to be late for our appointment with the goblins!" If they weren't already. This would not help their already strained relationship, and he fought not to groan.
"It's fine," he muttered, mostly to himself. "We'll just floo over to the Leaky Cauldron." He marched over to the fireplace and dug out a handful of floo powder, only to drop it on the floor when it started moving.
"What the--?!" The pile now on the floor continued moving as a few spiders crawled out of it. A peek in the bag revealed several more spiders, along with so much dust he couldn't see much of the actual powder mixed in. "Is that even safe to use?"
Ok, fine. He turned around and smiled in a not-at-all-panicking way. "Never mind. We're taking the Knight Bus."
"Yes!" Teddy jumped up, pumping his fist in the air and eager letting himself be ushered out the door. They ended up on the front step of number 11 Grimmauld Place, carefully hidden by notice-me-not charms, and Harry nearly tripped over a muggle newspaper laying on the step.
He huffed, leaning down to adjust it so the muggles who lived there hopefully wouldn't notice anyone had been there, and froze. A photo of John Major smiled up at him, along with a headline about the prime minister doing something or other he wasn't paying much attention to since he was too busy worrying about the fact that Major hadn't been the muggle prime minister in years.
He felt a niggling fear burrow into the back of his mind. Luna would call it a wrackspurt, he thought wildly. He unfolded the newspaper and stepped onto the sidewalk, taking Teddy's hand before he could think about trying to run off.
The date was right up at the top: February 13th 1991.
"It can't really be 1991."
He didn't mean to say it aloud, but a passing muggle overheard and chuckled. "I know. I can barely believe it myself. Where did 1990 go?"
Harry forced a weak smile, and Teddy looked up at him. "What do you mean, Dad? What's going on?"
Harry folded the newspaper back up and left it in its place. "Come on. Let's go back inside. It seems we've got a problem."