The Sands of Time

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

Albus Dumbledore was pacing in his office. He sighed as he completed one circuit of the room, and turned to walk in the opposite direction toward his desk, which was piled high with stacks of parchment. His mind was whirring with the latest news about Lord Voldemort's activities, of how it was rumored that some of the sixth and seventh year Slytherins were becoming Death Eaters. He repressed a shudder at the thought. It was unnerving to think that some of the students he saw going to classes everyday, groaning over homework and personal problems, preparing to start their lives after seven years of magical training, would become or already were, servants of the Dark Lord who were willing to obey him in everything, even if they were commanded to do the most grisly of deeds. He readjusted his glasses on his nose as he finally sat down at his desk and scanned a long letter from the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, who was asking him for advice for perhaps the thousandth time. As he debated the politest way to tell Fudge that he had just asked him for this very same advice two months ago, there was a sudden burst of flames in midair, and single scarlet feather floated gently to the floor. The portraits around him squealed in surprise as Dumbledore smiled.

"Students out of bed," he murmured. A clever looking wizard with dark hair made a noise of disgust from one of the portraits.

"I tell you Dumbledore, you're too soft on them. If there were misbehaving students when I was headmaster-"

"Thank you, Phineas," Dumbledore said softly as he glanced at the dark window. The full moon was shining brightly, but he hoped that wherever Potter, Black and Pettigrew were, it wasn't outside. Maybe they fancied a stroll to the kitchens, he mused. Suddenly someone knocked on the door, interrupting his train of thought. Instantly his wand was in his hand, and the letter from Fudge lay forgotten on the desk. Who could be visiting him this late at night? Some errant student, or a teacher? Or someone more sinister?

"Enter," he said, looking at the door warily. The heavy door creaked open, and a nervous looking girl with curly red hair stepped inside, closely followed by a boy with messy black hair and another with reddish hair, and -Dumbledore hid his surprise-five more teenagers, most with red hair.

"Good evening," Dumbledore said coolly. "Who are you?" He fingered his wand as he sat back, assessing them. He didn't think they were a threat, but all the same, in these times, it would be wrong to instantly trust anyone. The one with curly red hair glanced at her companions uncertainly. Noticing her look, a boy with messy back hair and emerald green eyes shrugged. This boy, Dumbledore noted, looked extraordinarily like James Potter, except with different eyes... eyes which seemed to resemble those of Lily Evans. Another black haired boy stood next to him, who also looked quite like James Potter, except that he had light brown eyes and no glasses. The rest were mostly redheads, except for a girl who must be at least part Veela, for she had silvery reddish hair and seemed to emit a faint glow, and a boy and girl with curly dark hair. Interesting.

The Veela girl sighed as she threw her silent companions a dirty look and tossed her sheet of silvery-reddish hair.

"Professor, I-I think we're in the past," she said. The boy with curly dark hair snorted with amusement.

"Haven't we already figured that out?"

"Well I was just-" the girl began to retort, but the one with curly red hair held up her hand to silence her.

"Professor," she said, looking directly at him. "We accidentally smashed an hourglass, which I think was a Time-Turner, and we ended up here. These are my cousins," she added, gesturing.

"I see," Dumbledore said, thoughtfully. This was something he hadn't heard of before. A Time-Turner smashing...it wasn't impossible, but it was improbable. He decided to humor them for now. "Well the year right now is 1976. What year did you and your cousins come from?"

"It was 2022," the curly red head said quietly. Dumbledore hid his surprise again.

"And how did any of you get a Time-Turner?" he asked, watching them carefully. Their story didn't seem plausible-how would eight teenagers acquire a Time-Turner when Time-Turners were safe in the Department of Mysteries?

The boy with green eyes and messy black hair coughed and shifted his feet, but it was a red haired girl standing near him who spoke.

"We-we were playing Quidditch," she said, her voice trembling. "I was a Seeker, and I caught the Snitch. We were using an old one. It used to be my dad's. When I had it in my hand, it opened. It split in two, and there was this tiny hourglass in there..." her voice trailed away and she glanced at the curly red head who began to speak.

"There were runes on it," she said, frowning. "I was looking at them when Fred-"she glared at the curly dark haired boy-"tripped me, and it smashed."

Dumbledore put the tips of his fingers together and regarded them over his half-moon glasses.

"And it didn't strike any of you as strange that an hourglass should be hidden in a Snitch? You didn't ask your father about it, since you say the Snitch belonged to him?" His voice was mild, but the red haired girl flinched violently.

"My dad wasn't home," she said finally, looking slightly shaken. "And we did wonder, but we just wanted to see if we could figure out the runes."

"I see." Dumbledore watched them for a moment longer as they squirmed. Maybe they were from the past. He could give them Viteraserum, since they could be Death Eaters in disguise, but that didn't seem likely. After all, didn't that green-eyed boy look like a mixture of two students, Lily Evans and James Potter? And when he had asked them about the Snitch, he had used Legilimency on the red haired girl. She was telling the truth. The kids shifted their feet and glanced at each other uneasily under his gaze. He decided to spare them further discomfort and changed the topic. "So why don't you all tell me your names?"

The boy with curly black hair grinned. "Fred Weasley."

"And I'm Dominique Weasley," the girl who looked like a Veela said.

"Lily Potter," the red haired girl said.

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "Related to James Potter?"

She looked surprised, but nodded. The green eyed boy looked at him.

"Albus Potter." Dumbledore smiled. He liked this kid already. The other boy with black hair rolled his eyes.

"James Potter."

Next to him, the curly red head spoke. "Rose Weasley."

Another girl with curly black hair stepped forward. "Roxanne Weasley."

"Hugo Weasley." This last one was a boy with red hair.

"Well! Since some of you are evidently related to students in this time, and even share the same names, we will have to change your names and appearances," Dumbledore said, getting up and pulling out his wand. A few minutes later, James, Lily and Al had straight brown hair, and Al's eyes were blue. Dominique, Fred, Roxanne, Rose and Hugo were allowed to keep their appearances, since Molly and Arthur Weasley had already graduated. When the three teenagers' looks were changed and they were grimacing at their new appearances, Dumbledore smiled pleasantly at them.

"We will have to invent a cover story for all of you," he said looking at them thoughtfully. "You can keep your relations-those of you who are siblings and cousins can remain so- but all of you were home schooled until recent attacks near your homes forced your parents to enroll you in Hogwarts, where they felt you would be safer."

"Yes, but Professor, shouldn't we change our names?" Rose asked.

Dumbledore smiled again. "An excellent point. Those of you with the last name 'Weasley' will now have the name 'Westley', and these people will also keep their first names. The Potters names will be John, Laura, and Alan, and their last name will be 'Parker'. Also, am I correct in assuming all of you attend Hogwarts in your time and are Gryffindors?"

They all nodded, except for Dominique who hesitated then said, "Actually, I graduated from Hogwarts last year."

"Well, Miss Weasley, for your time here you will simply be a seventh year again," Dumbledore replied. "And the rest of you?"

"Fred and I are sixth years," James said, jerking his thumb at Fred.

"We're fifth years," Rose said, gesturing at herself and Al.

"Third years," Lily and Hugo said in unison.

"And I'm a second year," Roxanne finished. Dumbledore nodded.

"Very well. I will have to research a way to send you all back, but I am afraid it will take me some time, perhaps months. Meanwhile, all of you must stick by the story I made up, and remember your new names. I want all of you to blend in with the rest of the students, and try not to draw attention to yourselves." He looked at them critically, as though X-raying them with his piercing blue eyes. When they all nodded solemnly, he looked at the clock upon the wall.

"It is near midnight, but the Gryffindor prefect, Lily Evans, should be finishing her patrol," he said. "I will ask her to take all of you to Gryffindor Tower." He stood and flicked his wand and a phoenix appeared, swooping low over them as it landed on Dumbledore's shoulder. Dumbledore hastily wrote something on a parchment and gave it to the phoenix, who disappeared in a burst of flames,

Minutes later, the door creaked open and the girl with dark red hair walked in. She glanced at them curiously, evidently wondering what eight students were doing in Dumbledore's office.

"You wanted to see me Professor?" she said politely.

"Yes, Miss Evans. These students have been enrolled in Hogwarts by their parents because it is not safe for them to remain in their hometown. They have been sorted into Gryffindor and they know which years they will be in. Will you please take them to Gryffindor Tower?"

She nodded and beckoned them as she left the office. It wasn't until they were halfway to Gryffindor Tower that she spoke to them. "So, what are your names?" she asked. "Mine is Lily Evans, but you already know that from Dumbledore. I'm a sixth year."

They introduced themselves with their new names, and told her their cover story. She nodded understandingly. "Yeah, there have been a lot of attacks lately," she sighed as they turned into another corridor. "And-oh! I haven't been telling you about the school! There are seven floors, and there are moving staircases, some secret passageways, I believe, and .." she continued to explain the features of the school to them, and assured the dramatically frantic John and Fred that it wouldn't take them long to find their way around and even if they got lost, a ghost would help them. As Fred gave an exaggerated sigh of relief, causing Laura to giggle, they turned another corner and found themselves in front of the Fat Lady.

"This is Fat Lady," Lily explained. "You just have to give her password and then you can go in the common room. Aconite!" The portrait swung open, causing John gasp loudly, and they climbed into the reassuringly familiar common room, dimly lit by the dying embers of the fire. Lily pointed the girls up one staircase and the boys up another, before going to her dormitory.

John and Fred said goodnight to Hugo and Al before continuing to their own dormitory. Seeing the nameplate reading Sixth Years, they cautiously pushed the door open, expecting to face the other sixth years.

The room was empty, but all of the beds had their hangings closed, except for the two more that had been crammed in next to the window.

"Where is everyone?" John whispered. "I don't hear anyone snoring."

"Just because you snore doesn't mean everyone does." Fred snickered.

"Shut up," John said, snatching a pillow from the floor and throwing it at him. Fred dodged, and the pillow hit the hangings of another bed. John held his breath, expecting an angry kid to wake up, but the pillow just sailed through the gap in the hanging and landed softly on the bed.

"Weird," Fred muttered. "There's no one there."

"Hey," John said as he inspected the other beds, which were all unoccupied except for one. "There's only one kid here, someone named Frank Longbottom, from what his trunk says."

"Longbottom? As in Neville's dad?"

"Must be..."

"That means the-"

"-Marauders are here too!" John finished excitedly.