Transitus Aetas

Chapter 1:

Harry watched the scenery racing by outside of the train window with rampant excitement. This was it, his last year at Hogwarts, and his last as a child. He’d never have to see the Dursleys again if he so desired.

Certainly not everything was rainbows and butterflies; Voldemort was still out there somewhere, lurking and waiting to spring at the most inopportune moment, but just for now everything was going Harry’s way. Nothing overly awful - unless you counted Malfoy - had happened during sixth year, no peep of Voldemort or his Death-Eating followers, and Harry was confident - in the way only a teenager can be - that nothing would spoil this year.

Currently, the Boy-Who-Lived was alone in his train car; Hermione and Ron were off somewhere having mentioned something about a meeting with the prefects, and he was contemplating the things he would do this year.

Starting off with being Quidditch captain this year and including extra studies in Defense Against the Dark Arts, seeing as that Professor Lupin was back again for his second year in a row. Something that no one currently attending the wizarding school could remember happening before. None of Harry’s seven years had the same DADA teacher two times in a row, and although Professor Lupin had taught twice before, it hadn't been consecutively.

Harry was glad, however, to have his favorite teacher returned to Hogwarts a third time. It was nice to have familiar faces around him, in a way, since he was still insecure about the people he cared about leaving him. And the werewolf professor was all he had left, unless he spontaneously grew a significant other anytime soon. Which, undoubtedly, wasn’t going to happen. Still, this year was going to be the best year ever. Girlfriend, boyfriend or no.

Maybe this year he'd actually figure out which of the two he would prefer to have, he mused silently. Maybe this year, someone would figure out if they'd prefer to have him. In Little Whinging the near five inch growth spurt he'd gone through at the beginning of the summer -leaving him at an impressive 1m 88 (6'2") height- had done little to impress anyone, as nearly everyone was still believed the story his uncle had spread about him when he'd first began Hogwarts.

If he actually cared about what the Muggles of Privet Drive thought of him, he might be a little depressed. As it was, though, he had too much to look forward to care. This year was sure to be fun-filled and action-packed, complete with exciting adventures--hopefully ones without Voldemort or any other type of calamity that seemed to follow Harry around like a lost puppy.

~*~*~*~*~

A few weeks into the term, Harry sighed, looking out of the Hogwarts library window. Today was turning into something that seemed like it was going to be long and boring, just as the previous days had been so far. So much for this year being fun and exciting.

At breakfast Dumbledore had announced that all classes were canceled and in a typically Dumbledore manner, he had declined to offer anyone any reasons as to why said classes were canceled.

Not that any of the students really cared, they were looking forward to a day of outside fun away from studies. That is, they were looking forward to it until Hagrid walked into the Great Hall, soaking wet.

Rain. A harsh fall rainstorm had hit Hogwarts unexpectedly. Normally, of course, this would do nothing to deter young witches and wizards from having fun and enjoying their free day.

However, storms at the school were always far from normal and had been happening more frequently this year than any year that the older grades remembered and never as fierce as this storm was. There weren't many brave enough to chance their health in the cold, biting wind, ice, and rain.

Actually, pretty much no one was. Even Hagrid wouldn't risk going back to his own cabin. Then, if it wasn't bad enough that he had to acknowledge the fact that he was stuck inside all day, on the back of his neck Harry had felt the all too familiar prickle of eyes that always came with these recent storms.

Knowing, before he bothered to turn, who was staring at him, Harry gave a soft little exhale of air and turned to face Professor Lupin. Who, just as he had suspected, staring at Harry wearing that odd, heartbroken dog that's been kicked too many times look or even the look people wear when they get lost in old memories.

Before the Boy-Who-Lived hadn’t too much time to dwell on it, however, Hermione had dragged he and Ron off to the library, because of course this was the 'perfect opportunity to study and get ahead'.

So, here he was sitting in one of the many window seats in the library a book loosely held in his fingers. Ron huffed out a sigh from where he was sitting at a study table a few feet away from Harry and Hermione across from the red head had her nose buried in a book.

Harry turned at the soft dispelling of air and smiled, amused by his friend's silent suffering. Completely distracted by Ron's antics his thoughts slipped from his mind as he focused on not laughing out loud at Ron who was trying to get his lanky form to adjust to not being in constant motion.

The more he wiggled uncomfortably in his chair, the more frustrated with himself the redhead got, and the more frustrated he became the redder his cheeks turned. It was somewhat of a vicious circle, really, but it was rather amusing to Harry even if Ron probably didn't agree.

Finally, after about ten minutes of the youngest male Weasley's fidgeting, Hermione closed her book with a thump.

"It's quite obvious, Ron, that you're bored. And if I know Harry, he probably is too. And with the two of you fidgeting and ruining my concentration, I'll never be able to get any proper studying done. So what do you two propose we do to fill up our day?"

Harry briefly considered protesting Hermione's ‘fidgeting’ remark. He hadn't fidgeted at all. Perhaps he had been a little mopey, but certainly not fidgety. Casting a glance at Ron who looked hopeful at the chance to escape the library he brushed the comment off and shrugged his shoulders, sliding off of the window seat and making his way towards the table his friends sat at.

"I dunno. Personally, there isn't really much we could do to keep us occupied. What do you think, Ron?"

"I dunno, Harry..." Ron trailed off looking to be deep in thought. "We could play chess...?" he offered tentively after a moment.

"Ron, mate, you always win! That's no fun! It's like me suggesting poker..." Harry trailed off thoughtfully.

"He's right, you know, Ron. If we're going to spend our afternoon doing something frivolous it may as well be something frivolous and exciting! Something no one in the history of Hogwarts has ever done!" Hermione said, a distinctly Gryffindor gleam appearing in her eyes.

Ron frowned, a bit peeved that his first idea had been steamrolled so thoroughly. He had wanted to go to Hogsmeade when Dumbledore had first made the announcement that classes were canceled because he was running low on sweets, but with it raining so heavily...

"I've got it!" Ron exclaimed, albeit quietly not wanting to draw Madam Pince's attention. "We can go to Honeydukes using the one-eyed witch’s passage!" Ron was reluctant to say exactly what passage very loudly in case someone was close enough to overhear, so he lowered his voice to a whisper. There were ears in the wizarding world even when no one was around.

He turned and looked at Hermione who didn't look as excited about the idea as he himself did. "Well, it might not be something that no one's done but it's more than most have!"

It was Harry who shot down Ron's idea, instead of Hermione, once again.

“That would be all fine and well, Ron, but that passage has been watched very closely ever since Snape took the Marauder’s map.”

“Bugger,” Ron groaned disappointedly. He really, really wanted to go get those sweets. "Well, there's got to be some way to get through there or even another way to Honeydukes. Another Hogsmeade weekend isn't due for a month!"

“I’ve got it!” Hermione exclaimed excitedly, “We can explore the castle! Look around and discover new passages, see if maybe we can find our way around without the map and maybe -just maybe- we can make another map for future students to use. Obviously, it’s something that we won't finish today, but we’ve got nearly the entire year and Christmas Hols to explore Hogwarts. And we do know quite a few secret passages from all the exploration we’ve done already…”

Hermione took an excited breath preparing to convince her two friends if it were needed before either boy had the chance to protest, if they had indeed wanted to; however, she thought of something else.

“Besides if we don’t find enough passages to make a map we could always just find a really old, abandoned chamber and make this thing I was reading about in Muggle Studies called a time capsule! It’s really great, you put things that are important to you or about you in a box or safe, something time proof although we can just charm it to keep it from aging too badly. Anyway you put something like a journal or a medal in it and then people in the future find it and they learn about you and the things you did. Not that people won’t already know about you, Harry, but you could start a journal this year telling your side of the past years at Hogwarts and then people could learn about the real you and not the Boy-Who-Lived.”

When Hermione paused again for much needed air Ron opened his mouth to mention the thing that had been on his mind throughout her speech. Hermione, seeing his slight action, rolled her eyes and answered his question before he could ask.

“Yes, Ron, we can look for another passage to Hogsmeade.”

Ron flushed a bit at being so easy to read, but his embarrassment was quickly washed away and replaced with excitement for the newly formed scheme.

“I think it’s a brilliant plan, ‘mione! What do you think Harry?”

Harry had been mostly silent throughout the conversation but grinned when he was given an entrance back into it.

“It’s bloody great!” Harry exclaimed, emerald eyes alight with excitement at the thought of doing something, or close to something, that his father had once done and all thoughts of boredom and of melancholy lycanthrope professors vanished. “And there are should be one more passage to Hogsmeade, Ron. I remember the Fred and George mentioning seven of them. Four that Filch knew about and three that he didn’t, the witch and the passage under the Whomping Willow I know about, but I never bothered looking for the other on the map.”

Hermione grinned proud that she had come up with an idea that Harry and Ron whole heartedly agreed with and cracked her knuckles.

“Well then, boys, lets get started!”

~*~*~*~*~

The rainy fall quickly turned into a cold, just as rainy, winter which in turn moved into a Christmas without snow although plenty of ice and water to go around.

The time seemed to pass even more quickly for seventh year Hogwarts students than it did in reality, between studying for their N.E.W.T.s and, for three certain students, exploring the castle that had been their home for the better part of seven years. All their time was used up and moved forward much more quickly than they would have liked.

Although still at times, to Harry, it seemed to slow to a turtle's pace. This happened most often when Harry caught the heartbroken looks on Professor Lupin's face and afterwards spent the slow day torturing himself, pondering the meaning of it all.

Still, all in all, time had passed much more quickly than any of the three friends remembered it passing in earlier years. No matter how much they wished time would slow, Christmas was upon them before they believed it possible.

Harry sat at breakfast the first day after most other students had left Hogwarts to be home for Christmas. Ron and Hermione had stayed at the school as well but both were still asleep, Harry having woken up before them, so the Boy-Who-Lived was at the Gryffindor table alone except for a second year that sat at the opposite end of the table.

Harry had been about to invite the younger student over to sit with him when he felt a familiar tingle along the nape of his neck. He turned to look at the professor who returned in Harry's sixth year to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts.

The amber-gold eyes that met his still had the melancholy cast that they had held for months now about them but now also held a resigned look as if maybe the professor were finally getting over whatever had caused him so much heartbreak. The werewolf almost seemed to carry an air of hopelessness with him now.

Before Harry had too much time to think on it however he saw Snape walk over to his favorite professor and mutter something into his ear. Something that, judging from the anger and hurt that clouded Lupin’s eyes, was completely malicious and Snape-like. The Potions professor, however, took no pleasure in whatever it was he had said and walked away an expression of extreme displeasure on his features.

Harry stood, spurred by his curiosity, to go and find out what exactly had been said to the Defense professor to upset him so badly. He didn’t have time to move from his spot; however, before Hermione appeared in front of him with a large dusty tome held in her arms.

“You’ll never believe what I’ve found, Harry!” She slammed the book down onto the table and pulled it open with no little amount of effort.

“I woke up this morning to study some, and to free up the day for exploring because I can’t really be expected to neglect my studies entirely…” Hermione trailed off flipping pages furiously, her every motion exuding excitement.

Harry smiled, watching her. So much for thinking that she had actually slept in for once in her school career. Some things just never change, he mused. Briefly, he turned his head intending to use Hermione's distraction with the book to do what he had originally stood up for, and frowned when he found that Professor Lupin was no longer anywhere to be seen in the Great Hall.

“Here it is!” Hermione exclaimed and Harry turned back to face his friend.

“Here what is?” he asked, curious as to what she was so elated about.

Hermione spun the book around on the table to face Harry and tapped the page with her finger.

“Here. I was researching that paper due in History of Magic on the construction of magical castles and ran across this!" the studious Gryffindor explained as Harry studied the book that lay open in front of him.

"It's not really an entire map," she continued, "but it does show a few passages I've certainly never seen before."

"Hermione, this is ruddy brilliant! C'mon, let's go and wake Ron."

Harry gathered the book, carefully keeping it open to the correct place and set off towards Gryffindor tower with Hermione in tow.

Half an hour later found the three friends walking in the opposite direction. They carefully followed the map they had magically copied from the book Hermione had discovered, since the book itself had been too large and bulky to carry around with them.

"It shows that there should be a turn to the left exactly where that wall is..."

"But...there's a wall there."

"Obviously, Ron. What, do you think we didn't notice?"

"No need to get your knickers in a twist..."

Hermione made an affronted sound and whacked Ron with the map that she held. "You hush about my knickers, Ronald Weasley, or by the time I'm finished with you, you'll need to be wearing knickers yourself!"

"Ow, fine. Did you have to hit me?" Ron rubbed his head glaring at Hermione from the corner of his eye.

"Yes."

"Hmph."

Harry absentmindedly listened to his friends bicker good naturedly and examined the wall in front of him. It was as normal as any Hogwarts wall ever was, actually it was pretty plain as Hogwarts walls went. Nothing but a painting of a forest on a moonlit night. That in itself was fairly odd, actually, this was the only picture Harry had ever seen at Hogwarts that didn't have someone in it and, for that matter, didn't move at all.

"How odd..."

"What's that, Harry?" Ron looked up from his argument with Hermione.

"This picture," Harry tapped it with his finger, "I've never seen anything like it anywhere else in the castle."

"What do you mean, Harry?" Hermione moved closer to get a look.

"Well, for one thing, it doesn't move, and for another, it's only a landscape! I've only ever seen potraits on the walls before, have you ever seen anything else?"

Ron studied the picture from where he stood. "You're right, mate. It is odd for a landscape to be up there. Really, it's odd for a landscape to be anywhere in the wizarding world." He took a step forward to get a closer look. "You see, wizards don't appreciate art as much as Muggles. I mean, obviously, if we wanted to go see something we could just Apparate or Portkey over and see it. And we prefer to capture animated life, not really plants and things. Unless they're magical plants or something."

"That's a shame, Ron. It really is a beautiful painting, the full moon especially adds to its serene effect," Hermione mused then followed up her statement with a short yelp of shock as the wall seemingly slid away to reveal a small, musty, obviously unused for quite a while, room.

"Great job, 'Mione!" Harry exclaimed, eyes wide and excited behind his glasses.

"Bloody brilliant," Ron added.

Hermione smoothed her hair, looking a bit unruffled by the sudden turn of events. "Well," she said when she had finally calmed herself enough to speak, "I must have inadvertantly said the password..." She looked up to notice that neither of the two boys she was with were paying attention to her, instead they were walking into the newly discovered room. "Are you two nutters? There could be curses or traps in there!"

"Oh, come off it, Hermione. This is Hogwarts, you know. I'm sure that there's some kind of spell preventing curses being put on the rooms." Ron rolled his eyes. "Merlin knows there's spells preventing everything else. It's not dangerous, Dumbledore wouldn't allow anything dangerous here."

Hermione snorted. "Oh, so there wasn't anything dangerous about a three-headed dog guarding the Sorceror's Stone first year, right Ron?"

Ron blushed a bit. "Relax, would you? The room is practically empty, and we do know enough spells to be able to take decent care of ourselves if something does happen. We aren't complete idiots, you know," he said a bit condescendingly as he stepped into the room.

Hermione noted that Harry was already in the room and sighed, knowing that it was practically impossible to talk to them when they were both in agreeance on something and entered the room as well.

"It's really dusty in here..." Harry spoke for the first time since entering the room as he ran his finger across a desk leaving a trail of gleaming wood in its wake.

"I imagine this room has been closed up for ages," Hermione replied.

"Hey, there's a box of stuff back here," Ron called from the corner of the room, kneeling by an open box, one hand rifling through it interestedly.

Hermione crossed the room to join him while Harry continued his own perusal of the room, investigating the drawers of the desk, then after that going through the wardrobe that sat in the corner.

It seemed strange to him that they were both in the same room and he wondered if perhaps this room had been used for storage at one time. When his search of the room turned up fairly fruitless he returned his attention to his to friends to find that they were again squabbling, a large book held inbetween them.

Harry crossed the room and squatted down next to where they were sitting on the floor.

"What's that?" he motioned to the book that seemed to be the cause of this latest disagreement.

Hermione yanked the book away from Ron and slammed it shut. "Nothing."

Ron glared at her and pulled the book away from her before forcefully shoving it at Harry.

"Look. Sixth page, fourth row, third picture."

Harry frowned. So they were fighting over a photo album? That didn't make much sense but Harry flipped through pages as instructed, getting caught for a couple of seconds on the first page seeing his parents and Sirius waving up at him.

"Ron! Why'd you do that? It couldn't possibly be him, there's NO WAY!"

"Sorry to burst your prissy little bubble, Hermione, but there's no way it couldn't be! It looks exactly like him, scar and all!"

Before Harry could ask what in the world they were going on about, he found the picture that Ron had directed him to and stared. Stared directly at himself, his mum and dad, Sirius, and Lupin in the same picture.

"BLOODY HELL." His eyes were fixed on the picture. "That's me!"

Ron looked smug. "Told you so."

"Harry, there's no way that could be you! That picture was obviously taken over twenty years ago," Hermione protested.

Her protests fell on deaf ears, however, as Harry dazedly reached lifted a hand and brushed it over the picture, affirming to himself that it was in fact real. The second his hand connected with the smooth glossy surface Harry knew something wasn't right. He looked up at his friends, his emerald green eyes widening in horror, as something stabbed through him and his sight was covered in white light, and then he knew no more.