When Are We?

Disclaimer: Me? An author. Not of Harry Potter, but of fanfics about Harry Potter.

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Chapter 2

Meeting New People

A few minutes later...

"So, Mr Potter..."

"Who says I am Mr Potter?" the dark-haired boy asked challengingly.

Dumbledore smiled patiently. "Your brother."

"He isn't my brother."

"Oh?"

"He's Mum and Dad's charity cause," the teenager explained. "They took him from an orphanage for brain-damaged children. Something is wrong with his head. Has been ever since he was born. Half of the time, he doesn't know what he's talking about."

Kingsley Shacklebolt laughed. "You kids are incredible," he said. "But finally, you'll have to tell us what's going on and you know that."

The boy shook his head. "Not until we can talk to Teddy and James first."

Seeing the interrogation of the newcomers as a waste of time this far, Dumbledore decided to use a more subtle method. The oldest girl was the most suitable for his purpose, because she would surely know the most of what was going on here and how they had appeared in this place at this moment. He concentrated and directed his mind, aiming at hers. For a moment, he saw a sea that was raging against a rock, a garden with walnut-trees and three laughing children with silver hair playing in there, then the Gryffindor common room and a flash of something that looked like blue hair, and then...

"Out!" she said sharply.

Dumbledore blinked and for his greatest surprise, he felt himself being pushed out of the girl's mind. How had she felt that he had been using Legilimancy on her? He had been so careful! And how had she been able to push him off?

"Resisting mind attacks is one of the things that are compulsory in Hogwarts schedule," she said coldly. "Although I must say, I expected this from some Dark wizards, not from the leader of the Light."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, his amusement more evident now. Despite her youth, this girl was a serious opponent. "I am sorry, Miss - ?" He looked at her with inquisitively arched eyebrow.

Victoire could not help it - she laughed. "Really, Headmaster, do you think I am that stupid?" she asked.

"That thought never crossed my mind," Dumbledore assured her, smiling. "So, it seems that we are in most awkward situation. What do you suggest for solving our problem?"

"Well, you could bring Teddy and James to us," she shrugged.

"So you can equalize your versions!" Sirius burst out.

Victoire grinned again - she felt that that would piss him further and she could not resist the temptation. No one who hit Teddy or imprisoned him in a room could not hope for Victoire's forgiveness, even if Teddy had been the one to bring this upon himself. "Really, Mr Black," she said, "do you honestly believe that we are some sorts of spies? Of Death Eaters? That we are people who have versions to equalize? Me and Teddy I can understand, but the children?"

Sirius glared at her dirtily. For all her beauty, she was a real pain in the ass. "What do you want?" he asked angrily. "All of you? Tell us, so we can arrange something."

"Teddy," Rose said. "We want to talk to Teddy."

"Well, you can't talk to him right now."

"Then, we have nothing to tell you."

"Please," Kingsley said in a calming voice, "don't behave like children."

"We are children," Rose reminded him. "And we should behave as such."

Sirius impatiently kicked the wall and groaned, because the only thing hurt was not the wall - it was his toe. I can almost believe that they come from the future, he thought. This little Miss Bushy Know-It-All not only looks like Hermione Granger, but she also sounds like her. I don't know how Harry and Ron put up with her.

"Hey, what's going on here?"

A young, red-haired man had just entered the room that they were in. He wore his long hair in a pony-tail, his eyes were warm and smiling. He was quite attractive, Victoire decided, and somewhat... familiar...

This time, Louis realized what was going on before her. "Dad!" he exclaimed, before he could stop himself.

The young man's eyes went wide with amazement. Victoire, now sure that it was a younger and unscarred version of her father standing in front of her, looked at Louis and hissed, "Can you say it louder? God, you are as stupid as James!"

"Oh, go to the devil!" Louis cut her off. "I am fed up with you for today. You are smart. And you are too fond of bossing people around."

"Wait for a moment!" Bill had not mastered yet the authoritative voice that would later make his future children leave their objections unsaid, but his voice was still the same and Victoire and Louis both shut up out of pure habit. "Who are you?"

"They come from the future, Bill," Sirius informed him. "At least, they say they do."

"We don't say any such thing," Rose said in calm voice. "James is the one who said we did, but he is not quite all right with his head and neither is anyone who believes anything that he says."

Suddenly, Sirius grinned and changed his opinion. He liked the Bushy. He liked her a lot. She was a smart girl, no doubt about that. "People said the same thing about my James," he said.

Meanwhile, Bill's eyes were moving from one silver head to the other. His face slowly paled. "Fleur..." he said and then he grinned widely. "So, I finally got my girl, didn't I?"

"Please, ladies and gentleman," Dumbledore said, "this thing has gone too far. Everything keeps becoming more and more complicated, so I ask all of you to stay calm and not ask and answer any questions right now."

"But, Dumbledore," Bill objected, "they say they are my children, I have to know - "

"We are saying no such thing," Victoire said curtly. "It's just Louis being his usual idiotic self. No need to look at me like that, Louis, you know it's true - "

"Louis," Bill slowly repeated. "The French form of the name?"

Victoire groaned inwardly and then openly. Loudly. "What did I do to deserve this?" she asked no one in particular. "I was supposed to be a bride today, not in the middle of this whole bloody mess." Then, she put herself together and looked at the four men decidedly. "Listen, I've got a proposal for you."

"We are listening, Miss Weasley," Dumbledore said and this time, she did not correct him.

"If you let us see Teddy and James, we are going to tell you everything that is safe for you to know. Not everything we know, because that might change too many things, but we'll let you interrogate us and make sure that we aren't Death Eaters."

Everyone caught the implication in her words. "So, it's true? You really come from the future and you are my daughter?" Bill asked.

Victoire only smiled. "You want to know? Then let us see Teddy and James."

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An hour later...

Sirius almost expected to see the James boy dead, when he opened the door of the room where he had left him with this Teddy lad, but to his surprise, everything looked surprisingly calm. James was curled on the sofa in a manner that Sirius recognized as trying to pretend that everything was in control and Teddy was standing next to the window and looking outside. All parts of him that Sirius could see were half of his profile and his red hair. Red hair? It was green a while ago! Does he dye it or is he related to Tonks?

"We have to talk," Sirius said.

"I agree."

Teddy motioned to James to get up and then turn around. Sirius held his breath. He would recognize this face everywhere. It was Remus'. "Where did you steal that face from?" he asked, his former mistrust of Teddy coming back in full force.

Teddy shot him a glance that was almost pitying. "It's mine, Black," he said patiently, as if he was talking to a very small child. "I was born with it."

"If you say so," Sirius replied doubtfully, not letting him leave the reach of his wand, while both boys were walking in front of him to the kitchen.

Teddy rolled his eyes, thinking that maybe all those stories about his father being so smart and all were not true, after all - smart people would not make best friends with obvious idiots!

The kitchen was full of people. Most of them he knew, either by their older versions - all those people had visited his Grandma's home, bringing him sweets and taking him for a walk - or by photos. Emmeline Vance smiled at him, while Mad-Eye Moody grunted something, his magical eye trying to burn a hole through Teddy's scalp, Severus Snape glowered and - Teddy's heart made a sudden leap here - his own mother beamed at him. Teddy quickly averted his gaze and was immensely relieved to see Victoire and the kids, all in one piece and unharmed. Almost immediately, his hair turned blue, as it always did, when he was happy, and that made some of the others gasp, realizing what he was.

"Wotcher!" his mother exclaimed. "You are a Metamorphmagus too!" She seemed fascinated to meet a kindred soul.

"Yes, I am," Teddy confirmed. "What's going on?" he asked Victoire.

"Things are getting out of hand," she explained. "We have to prove that we aren't Death Eaters."

Teddy's jaw dropped down. 'We have to prove - ?" he repeated and then burst out laughing. "Oh, that's rich. They think that we are - that the children are - Death Eaters? They think James is smart enough to be a spy?"

"I heard that!" James cried indignantly.

"We have to tell them some things," Victoire said. "Not everything, but we have to prove who we are. Otherwise, they will give us Veritaserum."

Teddy's eyes widened and he looked at Kingsley and then at Dumbledore. The old wizard nodded. "We have to be sure."

Teddy thought about it for a moment and then slowly nodded. "That sounds reasonably," he admitted. "How are we going to make the test?"

"Am I right in assuming that your skills in Legilimancy can match those of Miss Weasley?" Dumbledore asked.

Teddy nodded.

"Then you have to let your guard down and let me penetrate your mind. I promise that I will refrain from any unnecessary curiosity and will leave you alone as long as I know who you are and where you are from."

"All right," Teddy said. "But only me. You won't want anything from either Victoire or the children and you certainly won't force them to take Veritaserum."

Snape's glare turned from hostile to murderous. Teddy could only think that the man must have taken his words as either insult to his beloved Potions or to his ability to prepare the Veritaserum right, or maybe as a hint that he, Snape, would try to poison the kids... Teddy did not particularly care. "And act carefully while you're in my head, or I'll kick you out immediately. Gaining too much knowledge can change too many things in the future and I'm sure you understand that I'd rather be born."

"We have a deal," Dumbledore nodded. Not even a minute later, he had already seen Teddy's Sorting, little Teddy with Harry, Teddy proposing to Victoire... and that was enough.

"We can trust them," the Headmaster said calmly.

"They really came from the future?" Molly Weasley asked incredulously.

"We do," Victoire said. Then, she looked at Teddy and he shrugged.

"A Time Turner was broken," he said, "and it seems that we'll have to stay here for a while, until some of our people find out how to come here and bring us back to our own time, so I suppose it'll be better if we just tell you our names."

"You do that," Mad-Eye growled. It seemed that even Dumbledore's word would not be enough for him to put his trust in strangers who refused to reveal their names.

"But later, when we are ready to go back to our own time, we'll have to Obliviate you and make you forget all about us," Victoire warned. "We don't want the future fatally changed."

"Neither do we, Miss Weasley," Dumbledore said.

"And you aren't going to ask us questions about your won future or who our parents are," Teddy added. "We ask us no questions, we tell you no lies. Deal?"

Dumbledore nodded, his eyes thoughtful. "Deal."

They shook on it.

Teddy knew that he had to start first. "I am Ted Lupin," he said.

A wave of whisper filled the room. He saw his mother's eyes widening with realization and then sheer joy. She turned to look at a man who Teddy had not noticed until now - an older, grey-haired, more worn out version of himself. Now, he realized why everyone said that he was a real copy of his father. Remus Lupin looked amazed, thrilled and horrified at the same time. Teddy could practically read the stream of questions that was flooding his mind: Is it true? How is it possible? Is Tonks his mother? She must be, since he is a Metamorphmagus. Is he a werewolf? Teddy suddenly realized that during his stay here, he would have the chance to get to know his parents. That thought left him speechless. He was as horrified as he was fascinated. He had wanted to meet them for so long - but it wasn't the way he had imagined it! First, they would not know how to behave as his parents. Second, he would not know how to behave as their son. Third, he should not let them know that he did not know them. Bloody mess. All James' fault.

"He is Ted Lupin, a Head Boy, Dungbombs Destroyer, Fun Demolisher, Teachers' Pet," the devil boy himself declared - he obviously still held grudge because of Teddy's words that he was not smart enough to be a spy.

Sirius' face took a horrified expression. His mouth opened and closed like that of a fish, before he could find his voice again. "Moony?"

"What?"

"When my name is cleared, I am moving in with you and Tonks."

Tonks stood gaping at him. Remus' face did not change. "Why is that?"

"Didn't you hear that? A Head Boy, Dungbombs Destroyer, Fun Demolisher, Teacher's Pet," Sirius recited with obvious disgust. "A Head Boy, Remus! Someone has to show the boy the right way and it obviously won't be you. Look what you've taught him - to be an adorable little do-gooder, just like you... No, no, I'm moving in and that's it!"

Teddy could not say that he liked Sirius Black too much, but it suddenly pained him to know that the man would never move in with Teddy's parents... or anywhere else, that all three of them would be dead in less than three years.

"I am Victoire Weasley," Vickie said and Bill beamed, obviously imagining making her and the woman he would make her with... Unfortunately, judging by the look in Sirius' eyes, he was having some very disturbing thoughts... No, Teddy did not like him and that was it!

Teddy thought he heard a sigh and a muffled desperate whisper of "Oh no, Bill actually married her!" from Molly's direction, but that was stupid, probably just a figment of his imagination. Grandma Molly liked Aunt Fleur. Everybody liked her.

"A new invasion of Potters and Weasleys is threatening the wizarding world, I see," Snape said dryly. "Is Hogwarts still standing in your time?"

This time, Teddy could whole-heartedly sympathize with Sirius Black, when the man threw Snape a baleful glance. "Shut up, Snivellus," he said.

"I am James Potter," James said, looking quickly at Teddy to make sure it was all right to talk. Oh, but he was really looking at Teddy - alas, after he had landed them here.

"I am Al Potter," Albus said. It was a rare occasion when Al could not keep his nerves, but after all, he was related to James Potter and the Weasley twins and that meant that he was prone to some 'tell them and wait to see what happens next' acts. "Albus Severus Potter," he added, looking at Snape.

BANG! Sirius' chair hit the floor, while he was jumping at his feet. His face was red and his eyes looked like they would pop out of his head any moment. "I can't believe it!" he bellowed. "Is Harry mad or what? I'll Firecall him and beat some sense into him right now - "

"You won't do any such thing," Remus said firmly, grabbing him by the hand, while Snape, who had become even paler, said, looking straight at Al, "I forbid."

His voice was deadly calm. Al grinned in response. "I am not the one who should be forbidden. It's not like I chose my own name. To be honest, it is the last one I would have chosen. Really, Albus Severus? Do us both a favor and talk to my father, would you?"

Teddy laughed out loud, picturing in his mind Severus Snape talking to the fifth-year Harry Potter, telling him not to name his child after him! From what Teddy knew about their relationship at this time, Harry would probably think Snape had gone mad.

He felt someone looking at him and turned his head. It was his father. There was an amused smile on Remus' face and Teddy suddenly knew that he was imagining the same scene. Teddy smiled in response.

The introductions continued.

"Lily Potter."

"Fred Weasley."

"Another grandson! Arthur, did you hear that?" That was an absolutely happy Molly.

"Not another one!" A horrified Snape.

"Louis Weasley."

"How many of you are there? Do I have to teach all of you? No need to tell me who the two of you are," Snape added, looking at Rose and Hugo. "Red and bushy hair, know-it-all look, freckles, you must be related to Granger and Weasley."

"No need to tell me who you are," Hugo retaliated. "A mountain of a nose, sallow face, snake eyes, never heard of shampoo, you must be Snape."

Snape fell speechless... and so did the others, neither of who had expected that the newcomer, who had not said a word, would have the guts to make such a remark. Sirius whistled loudly. Go on, lad!

"You'd better watch your mouth, boy," Snape said slowly.

"And what if I don't?" Hugo challenged. "You are going to give me a detention? Listen to me, Professor." He somehow made the last word sound like an insult, "I am not my father. I am not your student and I see no reason why I should put up with you. I'll watch my mouth only if you watch yours. Is that clear?"

Sirius laughed out loud. The look on Snape's face was priceless! He decided that he liked this Weasley, whatever his name was. He just did not like him as much as he liked Victoire Weasley, though. She was by all means far more pleasant to look at, so he turned his head to look at her... and found out that he was unable to do so. The muscles of his neck were completely paralyzed!

His first thought was Snape... He turned aside to look at him, but his enemy still stared at the Weasley boy with the same hatred that Sirius had considered reserved for him and Moony. No, Snape had not done that... but then who had?

A hand nudged him in the ribs and a voice hissed in his ear, "That was for ogling my fiancée. Don't worry, the effect will wear off in a few hours, but keep in mind that I can always repeat the incantation if you don't keep your eyes for yourself."

Sirius gaped at the young Teddy Lupin. A moment later, another voice said softly, "Well, I think that settles it. It seems that I did good job in bringing him up, after all. No need for you to move in with us."

Sirius had recovered enough from the shock to argue reasonably. "No, Moony, I did the good job. You don't think it was you who taught him such tricks, do you? It seems that I did move in with you after all."

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A.N. So? Like it still? Review! Please?

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