Chapter Text
"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"
The words echoed in Harry's mind as he woke up. Instead of being on the forest floor, however, he was in a very familiar bedroom. The morning sun was illuminating the peach wall opposite his bed. He grabbed his glasses, putting them on and looking around. Everything was as it had been the morning before he left for the last time. His Hogwarts belongings were piled in a corner, his trunk open and still partially dug through, left to be finished today.
He could smell Aunt Petunia cooking breakfast downstairs- bacon and, possibly, pancakes. Uncle Vernon stomped by Harry's room, muttering something about lunatics.
The comment was as familiar as the bedroom and Harry jumped to his feet. The last time he had heard that comment was the morning he left Privet Drive forever.
Sure enough, Hedwig fluttered through the open window, dropping a likely-stolen Daily Prophet onto his bed. The date leapt out at him: July 27th, 1997.
"By returning, you may ensure that fewer souls are maimed, fewer families are torn apart."
By returning... Harry had chosen to return, hadn't he? Dumbledore had never specifically said where he would return to.
Fewer families torn apart sounded good to Harry. If he truly had woken up before his seventeenth birthday, could he change things? Save Fred from dying? Maybe he could somehow prevent Tonks and Lupin from orphaning their child- who, Harry realised, was not even born yet if the Daily Prophet date was correct. He would say the same things to Lupin if he had to. He had felt bad before, but in the end, Lupin had gone home- so Harry would say it all again if he had to.
Harry didn't go downstairs for breakfast. He knew it would be tense and uncomfortable and he was not eager to relive it.
As he thought about it, it felt unfair to have to do it all again when he knew the outcome. He wanted to change things, he still remembered everything and that would help end the war sooner, but how would he be able to get to Gringotts or get to the school without having to repeat everything as it had happened before?
He let the day play out as it had before, but this time he avoided stepping on the tea cup or slicing his finger on the broken mirror. He was quicker to repack his rucksack, and spent half the day making notes on everything he remembered. It would help, he was sure. If he could hunt down the horcruxes and confront Voldemort without the school being invaded, maybe things could be different for everyone.
The Dursleys left, he allowed there to be a tense handshake between himself and Dudley. And then the Order had arrived.
He knew how it was going to happen, they'd arrive in the garden, they'd come into the house, tell him the plan. Harry froze when everyone began to appear- it was not Mundungus accompanying them.
It was Sirius.
He allowed Sirius to greet him with a tight hug, Sirius grabbing his face and studying him like he hadn't seen him in years. "Let the boy breathe, Sirius." Lupin said calmly. "You can talk to him later."
Harry was still too stunned to really say much, and allowed everything to go ahead as it had before.
Curiously, Tonks' announcing that Remus married her was met by Sirius lamenting that he wasn't invited either and Harry found that odd. Out of everyone, why wouldn't Sirius be there? He didn't dwell on it, because Mad-Eye was already plowing on with his discussion of the plan.
This time, he didn't object to supplying his hair. And everything did seem to stay the same, until Mad-Eye instructed the fake Harrys to line up.
No one pointed out that they were one short. While the fake Harrys got dressed, he realised Tonks had disappeared. A moment after he noticed, an exact replica of himself walked back into the room from the foyer. He did not know why she had left, she was wearing the same black shirt and jeans she had arrived in, which now fit her better than they had before. He wondered if she perhaps didn't like people watching her do full body morphs.
She handed Lupin something, he said something quietly and she laughed. It was absurd to watch himself laugh at Lupin in such a manner.
It was still more absurd to see five more of himself walking around the kitchen.
"The pairs will be as follows..." Mad-Eye was saying. "Nymphadora will be with me, by broom." Tonks rolled her eyes and shook her head at the use of her first name, and Harry's heart skipped a beat. That was not how he remembered things. "Arthur with Fred, George with Remus, both by broom as well. Miss Delacour,-"
"Fleur will be with me on thestral."
"Miss Granger with Kingsley, also on thestral. Black, with Ron, on brooms." Mad-Eye said. "And Harry- the real one- you're with Hagrid, on the bike."
Harry wanted to speak up, but then thought better of it. How would he even explain it? They'd think him mad.
But maybe... if Mundungus wasn't there, and wasn't with Mad-Eye, maybe Mad-Eye wouldn't die tonight. Or, Harry thought for a split moment, would both of them die? Voldemort would target Mad-Eye first, they already knew that. Mad-Eye must already suspect that. Of course, if the untrustworthy Mundungus wasn't there to be watched over, he'd take someone he trusted and someone who could hold her own in a fight. Someone he taught to hold her own in a fight. Harry didn't like how different things had already become, without him even trying to change it.
"We think they'll expect you to be on a broom or with an Auror." Sirius said, likely assuming that Harry's worried expression was about who he was paired with. "You'll be safer with Hagrid."
"Snape will have told them everything he could about you." Mad-Eye said, retying the sacks that now contained the clothes the fake Harrys had arrived in. He wondered why they hadn't done what Tonks had, and arrived in clothes that would fit their transformed states. It would have been less humiliating for him. "We expect they'll go for the brooms, Black or Aurors first. There's been a false trail planted here, too. Someone in the Order was careless enough to leave the location of your safehouse upstairs."
Harry assumed this was where Tonks had disappeared to, then.
Mad-Eye stared everyone down one by one, until his fake eye landed on the real Harry. "Everybody ready?"
Harry wasn't, but he couldn't say so. Everyone was already heading outside, the jokes were tapering off. Brooms were flying into hands. He had the chance to change the past- wasn't that what Dumbledore meant when he had said, fewer families torn apart?
But he couldn't find the words. What would he say, anyway?
So he climbed into the sidecar, and just as he was about to put Hedwig's cage into it, he opened the door. "Meet us at the Burrow." He said quietly, and she flew off. Surely the Death Eaters wouldn't see an empty cage between his legs.
Everyone else mounted their brooms or the thestrals. Lupin was staring towards Mad-Eye and Tonks with a strange look, as if he did not like the idea either, but then Mad-Eye had counted to three and they all ascended, directly into chaos.
Sirius felt the spell strike his chest, but never registered what colour it even was. He stumbled backwards, and saw the horror cross Harry's face as he felt something warm enveloping him.
Darkness took over as he felt himself falling backwards until he landed on a solid, yet soft, surface. When he opened his eyes, he was in a room he had never seen before.
Sirius rose, straightening out his crumpled clothes and heading for the bedroom door.
He opened the door and barely stepped through the door when someone grabbed him, shoving him against the wall. "Who are you?" Remus' voice was filled with venom, his wand at Sirius' throat.
"What the Hell? It's me- it's Sirius!" He said, struggling, but Remus easily kept him restrained- taller by a few inches and deceptively strong from monthly transformations, Sirius barely wiggled against his grip. Another wand was now pointing at his chest, and he was surprised by the appearance of Tonks.
"Sirius Black is dead!" She said. "Who are you?"
"It's me! I swear! Ask me anything!" Sirius said. "I- Moony, I know you went to Hogsmeade with Lily once and James got jealous thinking it was a date but it was really just because she wanted your opinion on something she wanted to buy her parents. And Tonks- you- I know you two have been shagging, surely no Death Eaters know that!"
Tonks and Remus exchanged looks. "If it is the date that Daily Prophet says, they likely don't know we're even married." Remus said. "And only Sirius would want to say such crude things to prove-"
"Married?" Sirius yelped. "I just meant- when did that happen? I- we were just at the Ministry and-"
"We were not at the Ministry, we were at Hogwarts." Remus said, but they had lowered their wands. Sirius frowned.
"No, we were at the Ministry. I remember it- Bellatrix knocked Tonks out, I went to duel Bellatrix and then the bitch knocked me through that damn veil!"
"You remember the veil?" Tonks asked. "You died falling through the veil almost two years ago, Sirius!"
"A year." Remus corrected and she shook her head. Remus had picked up a Daily Prophet. "It's 1997, Dora, it's only been a year again."
Sirius grabbed the Daily Prophet, but it wasn't the date he noticed first. "Dumbledore is dead?"
"That's hardly the craziest thing you're about to hear." Remus said.
"Other than your marriage, which apparently I wasn't invited to-"
"You were dead." Tonks said.
"We've already lived through this year." Remus said at the same time, and Sirius turned to gape at him.
"What?"
"Dora and I- we've already lived through this year, but without you." Remus said. "We got married, which has already happened if we believe the date on that, but we both have memories up to May 2nd, 1998."
"What happened on May 2nd? Did you find a time turner and- that's irresponsible-"
"We died." Remus said. "Interesting you would try to lecture me on responsibility, though."
"Oh." Sirius said. He had questions about how, but figured that could wait, because clearly they were not dead anymore... or yet? Sirius was still very confused. "But you know about it now, you can change it- or this is Hell and we're all being punished-"
"Wait, look at this." Tonks said, pulling a partially visible Daily Prophet out of a pile of parchment. It had a large picture of Sirius.
Remus looked over her shoulder. "Sirius Black Acquitted." Remus read. "It's dated for a few days after the fight at the Ministry."
They turned to look at Sirius. "Don't look at me, I know I fell through that damn veil!"
"No, it means things are already changed. I don't want things to have changed." Tonks said. She had one hand on her stomach. "Remus, if this has changed, what about-"
"I don't know, I'm sorry." Remus said. Sirius stared between them.
"What's going on? Why wouldn't you want things to change?" Sirius demanded. "Imagine what you can do with your knowledge of the upcoming months, what you could prevent-"
Remus let out a laugh. "We didn't witness anything, it's not like last time, Sirius, when I was actually doing Order work." He said.
"We were in hiding for months." Tonks said. "The Order didn't keep us in the loop."
"Hiding?" Sirius asked. "The two of you? An Auror and a veteran Order member? Bullshit-"
"We had a son." Remus said, quietly. "But if we've come back in time, he's not been born yet, and we're not sure if..."
"I suspected I was pregnant at the end of July." Tonks said. "We're not sure if that will still happen, because obviously things are already different. You were not alive the last time we lived this day."
"But you are late." Remus told her. "You told me on the 31st before Harry's birthday dinner, that you were a week late, so you must already-"
"We don't know that." She said. "This version of July could be different, I could have already had my period and I wouldn't know."
"I doubt the timing of your period could change just because we've gone back in time-"
"I'm not saying it did, I'm simply saying if I remember a different July, how would I know if I'm late or not?"
"Dora-"
"What about Harry?" It seemed like they had momentarily forgotten his presence until he had spoken. He was not unused to this, when the three were alone in Grimmauld before. If the rest of the Order was not around, the two of them seemed to forget his presence. Sirius was happy truly, that Remus had found someone who made him so happy... but did it have to be his baby cousin?
"What about him?" Tonks asked.
"Where is he? What's happened to him?"
"He'll still be at his Aunt's and Uncle's." Remus said. "We're supposed to-"
Tonks gasped. "Alastor's still alive." She said. "And we're going to be late for the meeting, if we don't leave soon. Do we take Sirius with us?"
"Why wouldn't you?" Sirius demanded. "I'm an Order member."
"Because if we've had this issue, has anyone else?" Tonks asked. "Woken up with memories of a time that hasn't happened?"
"I guess we'll find out." Lupin said. "But for now, we keep it to ourselves, until we know. I'm not sure it's responsible to plan to change things."
"Why not?" Tonks asked. "If we can save people- why shouldn't we?"
"One change and-"
"Things have already changed!" She argued, pointing at Sirius. "I'm not saying we tell anyone, but remember, we all kept arguing over whether or not to even trust Dung with tonight's plan and... maybe we just try to convince Alastor to change it if it hasn't been changed by Sirius' involvement."
Remus stared at Tonks. "We'll see what is said first, and then decide."
Tonks nodded. "We should get dressed, you know how Alastor is when people are late for meetings."
In the bedroom, she had pointed her wand at her stomach, muttering the charm her mother had done while trying to guess when she'd deliver. Nothing happened. Remus wasn't sure how to react, so he said nothing. It was a bit disappointing, but he also wondered if perhaps it was too soon to know. And then, as much as he'd never admit this, he wondered if it would best after all. He loved Teddy, he did, but it was certainly not ideal to bring a child into a world when they didn't even know if the war would end.
"Maybe I didn't cast it right, but Mum did say nothing would happen if I wasn't. It was almost like she was expecting it to actually be negative." She said, a small frown appearing.
"It could also still be a bit too early. It wasn't until the day after the wedding when you used that potion that told you and a few weeks after that, your Mum did the spell-"
"Do you believe a few days could make such a difference?" Tonks asked, and he shrugged, turning away from her.
"Perhaps the potion and spell can detect at different stages." Remus said. "We should still go to Diagon Alley and get that."
"We need to go and get Wolfsbane ingredients." Tonks said. "I'm certain the shortage of those has not been altered. I want to try to stock up so you don't go any months without it."
Remus sighed. "I do not want you to worry about that." He said. "I will manage, I always have."
"It's hardly fair that you've had to."
"It's far too expensive, I can not ask you-"
"We're married. We're supposed to share things, which means finances, Remus. Everything I have is yours. Gringotts likely still won't allow me to give you permission to enter my vault because of the whole... werewolf... thing, but still. What's mine is yours, do not be ashamed to need things." She said, wrapping her arms around him, pressing a kiss to the back of his shoulder.
"Are we going or not?" Sirius yelled, passing their bedroom door. Remus let out a laugh.
"That might take some getting used to, he's going to impose on our honeymoon." Tonks grumbled. That had been how they referred to the months of isolation and banishment from the Order. While good intended, it nearly drove them mad from boredom once the Order properly froze them out, and Tonks had begun to refer to it as an extended honeymoon. For a while, they had been allowed to help with brewing potions and deciphering stolen letters and memos, and contacting safehouses for Muggleborns. But then, slowly, less and less work was passed along to them. Eventually, by February, they had seemingly been shunned from any Order work. Remus intended to not let that happen this time, if they had to live the same life again.
They arrived outside the Burrow's boundaries, assuming they were still meeting there. It seemed Dumbledore was still dead, so the security of Grimmauld Place would still be shaky. Luckily, they were right.
Ginny stomped out of the house, grumbling about how she was being excluded from the meeting. Inside, Hermione nearly dropped the mug she was holding when she spotted Sirius and Ron had paled. No one else seemed to react or notice the two teens' reactions.
Tonks and Remus exchanged a look. "I think we need to talk to Hermione, that's weird, right?" She whispered and Remus nodded.
"Once Dung arrives, we'll remind him of the plan again." Alastor said loudly, after he surveyed the room. "If he doesn't show up, I might kill him myself, it'll ruin the plan-"
"So, why use him at all?" Tonks asked, and he focused both of his eyes on her. Remus was certain she was the only person who didn't flinch when he stared with such intensity. "Cut him from the plan."
"We are not arguing about this again."
"Put the stronger duelers with the people the Death Eaters expect Harry to be with." Tonks said. "Put me with you. I can hold a duel, I don't need Polyjuice-"
"You are an Auror, you'd be a better protector-"
"Mundungus will give you away the second there's any danger, it will defeat the entire purpose of our ruse!" Tonks argued. "If any of the fakes give it away too quickly, it could help the Death Eaters figure out which Harry to actually go after. And if Voldemort shows up-"
"I doubt he would waste his time-"
"If they summon him, he will." Tonks said.
"You did say you expect any Death Eaters patrolling the area to go for a broom or an Auror first." Remus said. "If you pair Ron with Sirius on the brooms-"
"Black is too obvious, that is why I did not want him involved." Alastor said.
"Exactly!" Hermione said. "That's the point, isn't it? They'll focus on everyone except Hagrid, and Ron's great in a duel if it comes to it-"
"If the Death Eaters go for the strongest first, it'll be you." Tonks said. "Surely, you'd want someone who can watch your back. Dung is... sloppy. He's not even here right now-"
"She is right, Alastor. Considering he couldn't even bother to show up for the meeting, can we trust that he even shows up tonight?" Kingsley asked. "He could be six drinks deep at a pub somewhere and we could end up scrambling at the last minute to rearrange things."
"Very well." Alastor grumbled. "Less Polyjuice to use, anyway."
Remus had grabbed Tonks' hand under the table, tight enough to be uncomfortable. "It'll be okay." She whispered. "Trust me."