Time War by Mutt N Feathers



Summary: REPUBLISHED 5/2014
The final story in the Continuum/Ranimer/Growing Up with Mum and Dad arc. Can the Marauders and their children stop time from spiraling out of control or unleashing a fate worse than Voldemort in time? Please read the previous stories first so the time-travel aspects make sense.
Rating: R starstarstarstarstar
Categories: Pre-OotP, Alternate Universe
Characters: None
Genres: None
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: None
Published: 2014.05.15
Updated: 2020.11.03


Time War by Mutt N Feathers
Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Author's Notes:

Time War
A Harry Potter Fan Fiction
By Mutt N. Feathers

Prologue:
Take Me Back to the Beginning


July 18, 1985
Le Jardin de la Cygne,
Auvergne, France
Anwen POV:



Most people cannot pinpoint the moment their life was turned upside down. I can. It was a beautiful day and I was sitting on the rolling lawn of Hogwarts castle with my three sons, awaiting my husband’s arrival so we could take our children to London for the weekend. It was only a few months ago, a few short months since Draco Malfoy came striding up the walk, looking for himself. The only problem was, he doesn’t exist here.

Oh, Draco as a person exists, just not Draco Malfoy. The five year-old Draco he found was on a large blanket with his next closest brother, Bastien who is four and a half and their newborn brother, Ethan. Draco Malfoy didn’t exist here, for he is Draco Black to us, and I am his mother. My husband, Sirius Black and I adopted him when he was a mere toddler, since his father was dead and his mother imprisoned. That warm afternoon, we were singing silly songs, looking at the animals which meandered by and I was teaching the older boys more French. I thought life had finally calmed down, that we were simply going to live happily ever after.

I was so wrong.

Elder Draco approached us, fascinated at how little Draco interacted with his brothers and me. It was apparently something he was lacking in his life, which didn’t surprise me. Neither Lucius or Narcissa ever impressed me as candidates for ‘Parent of the Year’.

This man was from another time, sent back by his mother to find little Harry Potter and kill him. If he took others with him, so be it. This wasn’t our first brush with time-travel, and within hours of his arrival it became evident it wouldn’t be our last.

All our problems with time-travel started seven and a half years ago, when Harry and Ginny Potter arrived from a timeline where everyone who loved the boy had died, save Remus. His goal was to come back, kill Voldemort before he could rise to power the first time, and then be allowed to have a happy life surrounded by people he loved and who loved him.

I couldn’t help the laugh which escaped me; you know what they say about our best laid plans...

We’d done as Harry had wanted, ended the war before Harry of this time was even born. His Mum and Dad, Remus, Frank and Alice Longbottom and Sirius and I were the ‘heros’ of the war, no one outside of our little group knowing about adult Harry and Ginny’s involvement. But, as is always the case, there was a price to be paid for changing the future. The simplest of changes can ripple forward and create a tsunami of consequences.

So this was it, on the cusp of another war. Narcissa had a brilliant plan, even if it was incredibly dangerous and quite melodramatic. Then again, I thought Voldemort and his followers definitely had a flair for the dramatic. Megalomaniacs will behave that way. It would be a war fought like no other. No battle lines, few is any duels at all. This would be a war of stealth and cunning, careful planning and precise execution. Ultimately, it would be a battle of the minds, and I was quite certain our eight minds were far superior to her one.

To her credit, Narcissa had organised a rather rag tag group of former followers of Mr Riddle and kidnapped my husband. We were able to rescue him easy enough, but not before she’d taken half the hair from his head. It was a strange thing to take from him; I’m not saying he isn’t vain about his hair, but lets get real, it’s hair. His indigent pleas for us to charm it back caused me to smile. Vanity thy name is Sirius. Even these cheery thoughts couldn’t keep what was happening from my mind for long.

With big Draco’s arrival and the information he had, we rapidly deduced what to stopping his crazy mother from succeeding. Narcissa had discovered a way to communicate with her other ‘selves’ from different timelines. She distributed Sirius’ hair, told them to make Polyjuice Potion and then send their own Draco’s back to his own five year-old self. What better way to get close to little Harry than to disguise yourself as his godfather?

After spending months in research with Remus, Lily and Alice and then visiting the few masters of time-travel around the world, we -- the Family as we refer to ourselves -- were prepared to embark on a mission to stop Narcissa and the others, also removing the book which Harry and, with all probability Narcissa too, had found the time-travel spell in. We wouldn’t destroy it, the book was ancient and historically important; we would bury it so deeply in the Black family vault and then enchant it so no one would want to touch it. Sirius would leave a note in Lord Black’s papers at the bank explaining it was there, and how to renew the enchantments. As long as there was an heir in his bloodline, the book would be protected.

There were only ten of us who were aware of what we’d be attempting, the four couples, older Draco and Albus Dumbledore. The last was proving to be a bit of consternation, but dealing with him right now would only fluster me more. Albus was a battle unto himself. We knew it was a strong possibility we’d end up with a world far less happy and peaceful than the one we had now, but it would be unethical and immoral to know what was happening and do nothing. So this is where I found myself, wrapped in a blanket and standing on my favourite balcony of our French estate, listening to the cows mooing and awaiting the moment when we would begin to fight back.

I had never been so terrified as I was now.


TW TW TW TW TW

Chapter 1:
Lean on Me

He found her where he suspected he would. Sirius knew his wife well, sometimes better than she knew herself. Whenever Anwen needed to think, she came up to this portico and looked out to the small village beyond. She once commented that being able to hear the cows reminded her of summers on her family’s farm in Wales. They were some of her happiest days when she was small, just being able to run through the pastures, not having to sing for anyone. Pressure wasn’t yet weighing her down.

She felt him long before his body had reached her. She always knew when he was close, her body hummed with excitement; it was almost as if they were magnets, pulled to one another. By the time his arms snaked around her waist, she was prepared to lean back against his body. With little effort she slipped into his mind, allowing them to converse without anyone hearing.

“You’re worried,” he stated, experiencing the anxiety rolling through her.

“I’m not sure manipulating time is the way to put things right,” she repeated her oft-heard concern.

Sirius felt his wife’s apprehension over the plan. She had been the one to study the scientific and magical theories on time travel. She became the voice of caution over the last months as the family decided what to do.

“You know none of us have been able to come up with anything better. We don’t know how many people my cousin has sent back,” he reminded her.

A gentle nod against his chest gave him all the answer she’d share. Instead, he watched her memories of their last day of ’normal.’ Two months, it had only been two months since they discovered a fully grown Draco Malfoy walking up the path at Hogwarts. The man was fascinated with how he came to live with Anwen and Sirius; excited to find he had a family in this branch of the time tree. He almost seemed envious to simply be sitting on the lawn, singing songs with his mother and brother while their baby brother watched. That was the moment everything changed, forever.

“Anwen, you know that’s not entirely true. This mess started long before then. It was even before we were married,” Sirius thought to her. Rapid flashes of their Muggle wedding went through her mind, causing her to thread her fingers through his. The happiness of that day in her parents’ garden folded into memories of their magical nuptials at Grimmauld Place and the unwelcome guests Bellatrix had brought with her.

“I know what we need to do, I understand it’s the best way; but what if we lose one of our boys? What if we aren’t ever able to have children, if the injuries I had to overcome to have Evan aren’t fixed in whatever time path we end up making the prime timeline?”

“Oh, sweetheart, I can’t imagine a life where you aren’t a mother,” he lovingly told her.

“I’m just so fearful I’ll lose someone to all of this. Sirius, what if there’s a lifetime where we aren’t together? What if this is the only life where you stopped running to every other girl in the school and I kept my head buried in the sand? What if we never saw our love for what it was?”

“I can’t live without you. You are the other half of me,” she chose to say aloud.

“Do you honestly think the guys, Lily and Eva would have let me stay dumb forever? They were already laying bets on when I’d crack when I DID figure it out, dear. I know I would have told you how I loved you, and how much I wanted to shag you eventually,” he told her, causing her to giggle. Even as responsible as her husband had become, there was a brutally honest scoundrel inside. Images of just how much he enjoyed their intimate moments washed over her, and her body reacted in kind.

“Your desire for me has always been the best way to reassure me of your love,” she quietly thought. “Just hold me for a minute more,” she asked and he pulled her tighter to him. Anwen settled her own mind before slipping out of her husband’s, closed her eyes and let the gentle sounds of the town below their estate reassure her.

Throughout the grounds of the estate, ‘The Family,’ as they’d come to be known first among themselves, and then to others, were preparing for this mission in their own way. Potions needed to be brewed, spells reviewed, incantations practiced, supplies categorised. Within the cottages scattered across the property of the Viscount de Cygne, the makeshift family prepared to save the Wizarding world again.

TW TW TW TW TW

Author’s Note: This story will be bouncing from the past to the present to the future. Not all futures will have the exact same children with the same birthdays. In the case of Remus, he’s not even married to the same woman. Here are the names and birth dates of the characters from the Bound/Woven/Restored Timeline and what is currently considered the “Prime” timeline from Continuum/Ranímer/Growing Up. The list is current through then end of Ranímer in 1998. It is possible that events in the future will feature more children. MNF

Potter Family: James and Lily Parents

B/W/R: C/R/G:
Harry James (July 1980) Harry James (July 1980)
Evan Andrew (May 1991) Evan Andrew (May 1984)
Emma Llyn (February 1994) Emma Llyn (February 1987)
Hope Eira (January 1997) Eva-Claire (January 1990)
Brynne Rose (November 1992)

Black Family: Sirius and Anwen Parents

Draco Regulus (June 1980)*
Bastien Seduire (December 1980) Bastien Caldwalder (December 1980)
Ethan Seren (March 1993) Ethan Seren (January 1985)
Lilyan Vega (February 1994) Lilyan Aurora (February 1987)
John Sirius (June 1995) John Sirius (June 1988)
Jamie Lyra (June 1995) Jamie Lyra (June 1988)
Edmund Regulus (July 1997) Edmund Alphard (July 1990)
Stella Louise (January 1998)* Sitara Grace (September 1992)*
Christiana Vega (October 1993)*
* Denotes Adopted Child

Lupin Family:
Remus and Tonks Parents: Remus and Eva Parents:

Theodore Caleum (April 1998) Remus John Jr (called RJ) (June 1989)
Lara Tucana (December 1999) Eleanor Belle (October 1991)
Andie Carina (July 2002) Christopher James (July 1994)
Andrew Sirius (July 1994)

Longbottom Family: Frank and Alice Parents

Neville Elijah (July 1980) Neville Elijah (July 1980)
Anna Augusta (May 1982)
Marcus William (July 1986)
Lynne Elaine (December 1987)


Key points:

1) The timeline created by “Continuum” and continued in “Growing up with...” (affectionately nicknamed GUMD by my beta’s and we will be using the abbreviation) is considered the PRIME timeline.

2) Anwen is a projecting visualist. For those who don’t remember, this means she can see magic as well as make it visible for others. She can also ‘Astral Walk’ which means she can find someone who’s magic she’s familiar with (like Sirius) and send a vision of herself to see what is happening around them. She can also send a ghost-like incarnation which sounds and looks as she does, and which can interact with others. This last part requires huge amounts of magic, and usually drains her completely.

3) Anwen and Sirius have bound magic, since they were married using the ancient rites. Their bond is exceptionally strong due to her visualisation skills. James and Lily, Frank and Alice and Remus and Eva are also bound, but to a lesser degree.

4) The story will encounter or reference 48 other timelines.

5) Cannon (i.e.: the books) is one of these timelines, although it’s one of the future’s to be avoided.

6) The experiences of Bound/Woven/Restored will be heavily explored, although it is not a prime timeline.

7) Watch the dates at the beginnings of chapters. It will help you figure out what’s happening.

8) I’m working on a website to make all of this easier to understand. It will still be several weeks until it’s complete, and I’ve told enough of the story to bring it on line.

9) Please, if you get confused, ask me a question.

Thanks for joining me on this wild journey,
MNF



Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.

This story archived at http://www.siye.co.uk/siye/viewstory.php?sid=129818