Search:

SIYE Time:12:18 on 29th March 2024
SIYE Login: no


Time War
By Mutt N Feathers

- Text Size +

Category: Pre-OotP, Alternate Universe
Characters:Harry/Ginny
Genres: Drama
Warnings: Intimate Sexual Situations, Mental Abuse, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations, Negative Alcohol Use
Rating: R
Reviews: 15
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.
Hitcount: Story Total: 64550; Chapter Total: 2552







ChapterPrinter
StoryPrinter


Chapter 7:
Stronger Together

Monday, 30 May 2064
Fairer Garden
Island of Skye, Scotland


Anwen Hodgson-Black appeared to be asleep on the front porch of her home, Fairer Garden, at least to the uninformed. Those who knew the woman were well aware that just because she was sitting quietly, eyes closed, breathing slow and deep, was not to mean she was resting. Nay, she was most likely very much awake and doing complex spell calculations in her mind. Her visualisation skills were so well honed now that she could test spells in a virtual setting, witnessing their success or failure and adapting the ingredients for the next test. What was more amazing, when a spell was perfected she could send a conjured letter, complete with ingredients and instructions, to the Auror department in London.

At one hundred and one years, she was no longer the sprite she had been mistaken for as a youth. The years had not been kind to her body, but her mind was sharper than others half her age. It was this mental work which she now filled her days with, while her husband continued as a presence at the Ministry. Sirius, however, would still swear his best ideas came from her.

Anwen felt the couple coming up the walk long before they reached her door. She could pinpoint her family -- her beloved husband, their six children, seven spouses, twenty-two grandchildren and their eighteen spouses, fifty-one great-grandchildren and thirty-eight great-great-grandchildren -- to within a few meters. She was nearly as precise with the Potter and Lupin extended families. Feeling herself, albeit a younger her, and another version of her husband was an interesting sensation. Magic hummed and prickled with the energy of having two such powerful witches so near each other.

Before young Sirius could raise his hand to knock, elder Anwen was already speaking. “The door is open, please let yourselves in.” Younger Anwen tittered, remembering how strange the experience had been meeting herself for the first time. She had no doubt Sirius would find it such as well.

“Thank you, Mrs. Hodgson-Black,” the young witch spoke as she opened the door and let herself and her husband cross the threshold. The porch of Fairer Garden was beautiful, and it was something the younger woman was in the process of re-creating at her French estate. Upon seeing the space, Sirius understood why his wife was so enchanted by it. The two brick walls were painted a buttery yellow, the trim all in a deep forest green, the colour continued on the braces of the screen walls and door. The wicker furniture was painted a slightly lighter green with generous cushions made of fabric that featured white gardenias, hydrangeas and lilacs on a yellow background. There were plants everywhere, on stands of different heights and widths; an octagonal carpet with a solitary gardenia bloom covered the centre area of the plank floor.

“My dear, unless you want me to call you Lady Black, you will call me Winnie; the same goes for you, dear,” she said, indicating the pair should sit on the rockers across from her. Anwen and Sirius sat as she indicated and Winnie lifted a small bell from her side table and gave it a quick ring. “Tea will be served momentarily. My Anna has it ready, she was just awaiting your arrival.”

“Thank you,” Sirius said, still beguiled by this almost otherworldly woman who so deeply looked like his wife, and yet wasn’t her. Winnie had her salt and pepper hair falling down her back, wrapped in a loose braid. A pair of half-moon glasses were perched in her hair, and she wore large purple hoop earrings. Dressed in a simple dress of a vibrant aubergine, Winnie’s lap was covered by a well-worn quilt. A lone gold slipper poked out at the bottom. Her skin was nearly translucent, and Sirius was sure it was glowing a warm gold; he thought it must be the colour of her magic in this lifetime.

“Do you have much help here? It’s such a large house to care for,” Anwen stated.

“Anna and her cousin, Kyra, are both living here while they finish their Charms Mastery. It was far better for their great-grandfather to be their tutor than to attend the University. They are given one-on-one attention and are able to take the examinations in half the time. Not to mention their Papa used to be the headmaster at the Uni,” she said with a gentle titter. “Soon though, they will leave and a few new great-grands will come live with us. While they will claim it is to study charms or defence, they are here to assist their decrepit Mama. Life has not been kind to my body,” Winnie explained and young Anwen considered how fortunate she was, even with the lingering issues she had with her right leg, at least it was there.

“My son Ethan and his partner Aaron also live on the grounds, as they have for nearly thirty years now,” she continued. “Once Ethan had collected as much information as the ruins could provide, he settled here to write regarding his findings. They converted part of the greenhouses into a laboratory and built a building to store all the items he brought back from Atlantis. I suspect they stay to help their father around the place.”

A young woman arrived, and she was quickly introduced as Anna Black, Bastien’s youngest granddaughter. She served the tea before setting the tray down on a large old pane window, fitted with mismatched legs, which served as a coffee table. She quickly withdrew, stating Papa had set an examination for the afternoon.

“He always worries the children so before he tests their knowledge. Then they always pass his examinations without much effort. More than one of them has stated the International Mastery Exams were easier than his monthly quizzing.” Winnie joked. “He’s a gifted educator, which is why it’s been hard for him to leave his teaching career behind. If I were to name one thing we argue about, it would be his overextending himself. One hundred and four is a respectable age at which to retire.” It was almost comical for the younger pair to listen to the older woman. The inflection in her voice, as well as her mannerisms, were quite familiar. Sirius decided to put this information away, so that when his Anwen was begging him to retire, he’d do as she asked.

“Have you discovered the remainder of the ingredients,” Anwen asked Winnie. “I know you were close when I last visited.”

“I have, although the list is quite extensive. I have done the spell, twice, and in both limited tests it worked. The real test will be when we intentionally send someone -- other than a version of us -- through. If the spell works correctly, we should be notified immediately,” she answered.

“Why won’t it work with you?” Sirius asked his wife.

“It won’t work with you either, dear, shared magic and all. We aren’t really travelling through time. I’m projecting three-dimensional, interactive representations of us to myself, forward or backward through time. The only physical time-travel that I’ve done is when the twenty-something version of James and I used the time-turner to visit you and me in 2016,” Anwen explained and Sirius just stared at her.

“You mean we aren’t really here?”

“No, you’re both here, but you’re also still in your own time. When you return to 2016, you’ll recall all of this, but you may also recall events which happened in our time which you might have been part of,” Winnie answered.

“Is that why you sent the kids away and had us lie down in our bed?” Sirius asked his wife.

“Yes, just to be safe. Understand, though, that this only works because of my special magic and being able to use the combined magic of two versions of me in tandem. It’s why we need to teach very young Anwen how to do this before Harry and Ginny are set to arrive. We will need the power of her in 1976, Anwen in 1985 when we first learned of Narcissa’s plan, and Winnie and me, from our respective years, all doing this spell at the same time, pulling strength from the bound magic we each have with our version of you,” she answered.

“So, let me see if I understand,” he said hesitantly. “We’re going to have four Anwen’s bound to four Siriuses, doing the same spell, at the same date and time, in their respective years?”

“Exactly. Very young Anwen and Sirius will send Harry and Ginny back to their 1998 while the rest of us return time and space to their normal standing. Additionally, your Anwen will be doing an additional spell to make it impossible for someone to use the blood magic spell, or any variation of it, ever again,” Winnie added. “Time-Turners and Astral Walking will be the only way left to travel through time.”

“Wow,” Sirius said, falling back against the cushions of his chair. “How long did it take you to figure all of this out?”

“Well, I became aware of the problem when I was visited by twenty-two-year-old Anwen the first time, when I was fifty-six,” Winnie explained.

“You’ve been working on this since 2016?” he asked, incredulously.

“Yes, although I think I have memories from when I was younger, although I can’t be sure. We’ve talked so much about what happened when I was thirteen and you were seventeen, I can’t be sure if my memories are real or simply a creation of what I think should be there,” she explained. “The mind works in very mysterious ways,” she added. cryptically

A slight buzzing noise came from inside the house, and soon a man appeared, carrying a very large potions case. “Oh, hello,” he paused and then looked to Winnie. “Are these younger versions of you and Papa?”

“Yes, Douglas, these are Lord Black and Lady Black from 2016,” she answered him. “They have also assumed the French ranks.” Douglas’ face registered understanding and he smile.

“Interesting. Why didn’t you and Papa ever take on the French noble titles?” Douglas asked.

“Same reason we never flaunted the English peerage either,” she quipped in return. “Different lives call for different actions. While your Papa never felt the need, the lives they lead called for it. While their war was over sooner, the power struggle continued for many years hence.”

“Ah,” he said with understanding. “I’m Douglas Wood, Stella and Oliver Wood’s younger son.” He thrust his hand out and both Anwen and Sirius shook it.

“Wait, you said Stella?” Anwen asked. “Where did she fall in the line?”

“I take it she isn’t part of your lives?” Winnie inquired.

“We don’t have a daughter named Stella,” Sirius answered.

“I’m not surprised, really,” Winnie said. She motioned for Douglas to sit down at the end of her chaise, which he did. “Your war ended much sooner than ours, and if I’m not mistaken, you cured Lycanthropy early on?”

“Lily did, in ’88 or ’89,” Anwen answered.

“Well, here the vaccine wasn’t created until well after the Battle of Hogwarts, a decade later. You know your mum was adopted, correct?” Winnie asked her grandson while turning to him.

“Sure, she came to you when she was a baby, because you could handle a child who was a werewolf. Now I get it, no war, no Greyback biting kids, Mum never became a werewolf,” Douglas said quickly, once he was able to put their bits together.

“Not only that, but her pureblood parents wouldn’t have given her away because she was never a werewolf,” Winnie concluded.

“Wait, you knew she was a pureblood? Her family just threw her out, like the rubbish?” Anwen asked, tears coming to her eyes.

“I know, dear, it’s hard to understand. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss her,” Winnie said as she gripped her grandson’s hand.

“What happened?” Sirius asked as he reached for his wife’s hand.

“She died of Blood Magic Dystopia,” Douglas explained. “Neither my brother nor I have it, and thankfully none of our children have contracted it either. Our Dad is a half-blood, so we were statistically rather safe. Mum died eleven years ago.”

“How horrible,” Anwen said through her tears. “I can’t imagine losing any of my children.”

“Douglas, ask her how many children she has,” Winnie prompted. Her grandson looked at her with trepidation.

“Somehow you think this is going to shock me?” he deduced. “Okay, Anwen and Sirius, how many children do you have?”

The pair looked at each other, and Anwen indicated with a nod of her head that her husband should answer. “We have fifteen kids, seven kids-in-law, and twenty grandchildren,” he said.

“Sweetheart, your count is off. You forgot our son, Chester, but we’ve only had him for a few days so I suppose it’s excusable. However, I doubt Lilyan would be pleased that you’re still forgetting about Caty. She’s three months old now, you need to remember her,” Anwen chastised.

“My love, I always remember her when she’s in the room. You have to admit, however, we do have a rather large brood,” he countered.

“Uh, large is an understatement,” Douglas stated. “I don’t know how any of you keep them straight.”

“They’re part of us,” both Anwen’s replied, causing the quartet to laugh.

“Well, Mama, I came out to give you your treatments,” Douglas said when the laughter died. “Let’s get you started.”

“Fine, fine,” Winnie sort of grumbled. “Bring me my brace and we shall go to the solarium.”

“Oh, please, don’t leave on our account,” Anwen quickly said.

“No, I’d rather do this in private. While I have lived a long and wonderful life, my body is betraying me in the most immodest of ways. I shall not subject you to my discomfort and unfortunate comportment while I am given my treatment,” she said, sounding like the true lady she was. Winnie wiggled her fingers and several sheets of parchment came flying in. “Perhaps you’d like to review the ingredient lists and spells while I am indisposed? When I return, we can discuss them.”

Douglas returned with a rather archaic looking brace, several leather bands with buckles attached to a cloth cup and then a sturdy length of square metal, ending in a wooden foot with a plain shoe on the bottom.

“With all the advances in magical healing, you’d think they could create me a prosthetic which didn’t irritate me. I’m reduced to using my first brace, the post-operative one from 1998. Maybe you and I can create one, Anwen.” Winnie was attempting to put on a brave face, but it was apparent just how much pain she was in as she moved from the room.

“Graces,” Anwen said quietly. “I don’t know how she does it.”

“The same way you do, love,” Sirius answered in as soft a tone.

“I am in considerably less pain than she,” Anwen gently added. Sirius chose not to debate the matter further, but rather just kiss his wife.

“Well, let’s look at this list, shall we?” he spoke, changing the subject, but not allowing it to leave his mind. “The Black family bone bowl?”

“It’s in the vault, dear,” Anwen said with a pat to his hand. “I put it there, along with the rest of the dark items I found scattered around Grimmauld Place when we decided we weren’t going to live there. I’m so glad we decided to raze the building and create a house that fitted our needs.”

“The only house where none of the children can spend the night,” Sirius bantered back. “As you so wisely created a home with only one bedroom. Our little get-away in London.”

“Best anniversary gift we ever gave one another,” she said with a sigh. “I’m quite certain we’ll find it just as nice this evening, when we go to celebrate.”

“Thirty-six years,” he said in a low, seductive voice, “and you’re still the most desirable woman to ever walk the earth.”

“Thank you, love, although you’re delusional. Eight pregnancies is enough to stretch things out in ways they’ll never snap back, regardless of how good of a spell caster you are. But I love you for your beautiful words, just the same,” she said before leaning over the arm of her chair to kiss him. The snog soon moved into a more passionate embrace; hands holding tight, lips and tongues mashing together. The couple was lost to the world.

“Eh-hum,” a throat clearing startled the couple, causing them to quickly retract themselves from each other. “Didn’t mean to interrupt your snog, but you were on my porch.”

Anwen and Sirius saw the smirk on the older gentleman’s face and joined in with his laughter when it came. “I take it you’re the pair from 2016?”

“Correctly assumed,” young Sirius answered. “Are introductions necessary?”

“Doubtful, seeing as you’re me and I’m you. Siriusly perplexing, isn’t it?” older Sirius asked and they both laughed.

“You mean you never outgrow that?” Anwen asked, fearing the answer.

“It’s part of our rakish charm,” the elder answered. “We’re dog gone fun to be around!”

“Good Lord,” she muttered before returning to the parchment. Some of the items would require work -- creating a beeswax candle infused with Fire Lily pollen, flames captured from a Hungarian Horntail Dragon -- while others were just hard to locate or procure, like Harry and Ginny’s hair from shortly after they arrived in 1998. Thankfully money could secure the difficult and rare, and a stealthy witch with an Invisibility Cloak would get what couldn’t be bought.

Elder Anwen returned from her ‘treatment’ looking far worse for it. Her Sirius was highly attentive to her needs, seemingly supplying things before she’d even ask for them. They brainstormed together for a short while and when young Anwen noticed her older self beginning to wilt, discretely excused herself and her husband. As they returned to 2016, Anwen prayed that if she were destined to be as weak as the woman they were just with, she too would be given such loving family members to care for her.

Reviews 15
ChapterPrinter
StoryPrinter




../back
‘! Go To Top ‘!

Sink Into Your Eyes is hosted by Grey Media Internet Services. HARRY POTTER, characters, names and related characters are trademarks of Warner Bros. TM & © 2001-2006. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K.R. Note the opinions on this site are those made by the owners. All stories(fanfiction) are owned by the author and are subject to copyright law under transformative use. Authors on this site take no compensation for their works. This site © 2003-2006 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Special thanks to: Aredhel, Kaz, Michelle, and Jeco for all the hard work on SIYE 1.0 and to Marta for the wonderful artwork.
Featured Artwork © 2003-2006 by Yethro.
Design and code © 2006 by SteveD3(AdminQ)
Additional coding © 2008 by melkior and Bear