Time Warp - Chapter 2

Summary: An incident with the Time Turners during the Battle of the Ministry sends Harry hurtling through time. Lost in a world that is no longer his own, he's forced to turn to the most unlikely of places for help…

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Chapter 2: Questions

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“Is that him?!”

Narcissa looked up with tired eyes to where a gorgeous brown-haired witch stood staring towards the bed with a look of wonder. Sighing, the young blonde turned back to the chart in her lap.

“Don’t you have rounds, Healer Tonks?” Narcissa grumbled.

Andromeda Tonks, nee Black, shook her head and stepped further into the room. “Hodges is covering for me. I wanted to see the mysterious stranger everyone’s been talking about. Is it true he just appeared with a big flash of light?” Her sister’s eyes remained glued to the figure lying in bed to Narcissa’s right. It had been over 24 hours since whatever his name was appeared–16 since he awoke and then passed out again if she were being thorough.

“Yes.” Narcissa said without looking up. “He also destroyed the entire Emergency Ward lobby and nearly burst everyone’s eardrums with that stunt.”

“Drained his magical core to near-fatal levels too if what old Abbot was saying is true.” Andromeda replied as she stared down at the sleeping raven-haired man. “From how everyone downstairs is telling it–you’d almost expect him to be some deranged old warlock, not this-” She said, gesturing towards the man’s general form. “He’s quite the looker actually.”

Narcissa rolled her eyes and scoffed. “I thought you were married.”

Andromeda waved her off. “Ted doesn’t mind if I look. ‘Sides, he’s way too young for me. Looks about your age actually.” Her sister gave her a smirk, the same one she shared with Bellatrix. Though where her other sister’s smirk was vindictive and even sometimes cruel to those who deserved it, Andromeda’s had always been more playful and light. An accurate depiction of the older witch’s whole demeanour, Narcissa supposed.

Narcissa ignored the older girl’s comment and turned back to her charting. “Whatever. Now if you don’t mind, some of us have actual work to do!”

She didn’t see the way Andromeda’s face fell slightly as she nodded. “Very well. Give me a shout if you need anything. My shift doesn’t end for another few hours.” Her sister paused and Narcissa risked a quick glance up to see her face marred with a look of uncertainty. “Love you Cissy.”

Narcissa’s heart clenched, and it took everything in her not to allow the warring emotions within to show on her face.

“Good day, Healer Tonks.”

She didn’t bother another glance, for she knew her sister well enough to know how pained the woman looked in that moment. A moment of silence passed before finally the soft sound of receding footfalls echoed out from the hall. Narcissa let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding, the sound of which was far too close to that of a sob for her comfort. Mentally she chastized herself for her weakness and seethed with rage. Andy knew that her hands were tied. As soon as her sister ran off with that mudblood, she was effectively banished from House Black. Aunt Walburga had wanted to officially disown her sister, but her Lord Grandfather had put his foot down and said that Andromeda’s choices, while distasteful, did not necessitate any such actions. Still, it was expected of everyone in the Black family to treat her sister as if she had never existed, Narcissa included.

It wasn’t like she bloody wanted to though! She loved her sister! Was she mad at Andromeda for being so selfish and running off to elope with someone beneath her?! Of course! But that didn’t mean Narcissa wished to snub her at every turn! Still–her hands were tied. Protocol dictated that Andromeda had betrayed the family and as such she was no longer a part of of said family. She just wished Andy could see how much this whole ordeal was hurting her as well, instead of acting like the only wounded party! For fuck’s sake–even Bellatrix, as much of a cunt as her other sister was, was hurt by Andy’s absence, but even she couldn’t go against their Grandfather’s orders. The only member of the family who even had the gall to do so was her idiot cousin, and Sirius only got away with it because he was Grandfather’s favourite, not that the stupid mutt realised it.

The whole bloody situation was a mess and Narcissa for her part was sick of it. Sick of Andy’s pity party. Sick of her Grandfather’s stubbornness. She was sick of being caught in the middle of it all like she usually was.

The quiet ‘snap!’ of her quill breaking in half tore Narcissa from her mental tirade. She’d gotten so worked up that she’d been moreso carving notes into her chart than actually writing anything and her white-knuckle grip had been too much for the thin writing tool. Cursing to herself, she fumbled for her wand and repaired the splintered feather. The charge nurse, Nancy, was a stickler about her quills and if Narcissa returned this one to her in pieces Nancy would be livid.

“..h..ngg-”

Narcissa immediately shot up. The sound of her patient waking had her on high alert. Quickly, she shot over to his bed, running the standard analysis charms without a thought.

“Sir?” She spoke, looking him over. “Sir can you hear me?”

The raven-haired man groaned once more but his eyes stubbornly remained closed. Narcissa bit her lip as she considered calling for Healer Abbott. The older man was likely home by now and would be livid with her if she called him back to the hospital for nothing. A ping from her wand made her decision for her as it showed the stranger wasn’t in pain or actually waking, but instead seemed to be experiencing some sort of nightmare. Breathing a sigh of relief, Narcissa quickly holstered her wand and walked over to the small potions cart the orderlies had brought in earlier. A nightmare was easy to solve. A dreamless sleep draught should do the trick…

As she poured the concoction into the stranger’s IV bag he let out another small groan, this time shifting slightly as well. A most troublesome dream indeed, she hummed to herself…

-

“This way!” Hermione cried.

Harry ran after her, firing off a flurry of spells behind him as Neville did the same. Most of their spells went wide, but a few forced their purses to dive out of the way. He could still vaguely hear Bellatrix’s screeching to ‘capture them’ as he pulled Neville through the door Hermione led them to and slammed it closed behind them. The sound of crystal balls crashing into the ground faded as the door latched.

“Did they see us?!” Neville whispered.

Harry shook his head, unsure of the answer as he looked around their hiding place. He had thought Ron, Luna and Ginny were ahead of them, that they would be waiting in this room, but there was nobody there.

"They must have gone the wrong way!" whispered Hermione, terror in her face.

Harry’s heart clenched in fear. Were they okay? Where could they have gone? The last he could recall they ducked through the opposite row of shelves as soon as the chaos started. 

“Do we go back?” Neville asked.

Harry shook his head. “The Death Eaters are probably searching for us as we speak. We have to hope they made it out.”

Hermione nodded. “We should get out of here while we can. There’s another door this way.”

They began to move down the long narrow room. Shelves hung from either side as they crept through, each adorned with…

“Are these Time Turners?” Harry whispered, looking at the myriad of hourglass-shaped pendants.

“I think so.” Hermione replied. “This must be where the ministry studies them, or perhaps creates them. Be careful not to-”

‘SLAM!’ “They’re in here lads!”

Their world was flung into chaos once more. Harry pushed Neville and Hermione forward milliseconds before three growling purple spells slammed into the space where their heads had been moments before. The sound of crashing glass and spell fire filled his ears as they ducked and weaved between the shelves. The room was much smaller than the Hall of Prophecy which made it a great deal harder to both dodge and fight back as they clamberred towards the door. Harry coughed as one of the shelves all but exploded in his face. The gritty feeling of sand coated his tongue as he inhaled the enchanted dust and for a moment the whole world seemed to go fuzzy.

Another spell sailed past him, colliding violently with the floor and sending him flying back into another cabinet of Time Turners. His head smacked against something hard, forcing stars to explode out behind his eyes. He could feel the glass of the cabinet cut painfully into his back while more Time Turners crashed to the floor in large clouds of sparkling sand.

“HARRY!” Hermione screamed.

Harry looked up, his vision dazed from the impact. Hermione and Neville were the exit a dozen or so feet away while three masked Death Eaters were quickly advancing from the opposite end of the room. Hermione and Neville wouldn’t make it in time to help him and he very much doubted he could even run straight after the hit to his head. He could fight though, or at least put up a hell of a good one, but not with his friends here.

“Sorry ‘Mione…” He muttered, bringing his wand up.

He watched Hermione’s eyes widen as he levelled his wand with her. He gave his closest friend one last smile before whispering an incantation. A low-powered banishing charm shot forward, impacting her and Neville harmlessly and pushing them out the door. Harry couldn’t see this though. The second the banishing spell left his wand angry black sparks filled his vision. A chain reaction was suddenly ignited, catalyzed by the magic of his banishing spell and the enchanted sand in the air. The last thing he heard was a deafening screech like metal tearing apart and Hermione’s cry of horror before everything went black.

-

Harry bolted up with a gasp as the memory of the battle in the DoM faded in his mind. Unfamiliar beige-painted walls met his gaze as his instincts kicked in and he took stock of his surroundings.

“Well look who’s finally awake.” A feminine voice said dryly.

Harry froze at the familiar voice. The memories from before came back to him in an instant. Memories of an existential nothingness, of a voice that called him Peverell and a dim grey light. He remembered the figure by the tree. Its cryptic words rang in his ears and yet even the terrifying reality of meeting the personification of Death did not compare to the shock of what came next.

Turning, he was met with by same breathtaking blonde that had slid his glasses onto his face. The very same breathtaking blonde who couldn’t possibly be here and so young. Narcissa Malfoy was a beauty, sure, but from what he remembered even she was affected by the winds of time like any other witch or wizard. And she sure as hell wasn’t a Healer!

“Sorry?” Harry spoke after he realized he’d been staring for a bit too long to be considered polite.

The woman who couldn’t possibly be Narcissa Malfoy stepped forward with a clipboard and quill floating behind her and rolled her eyes. 

“Eloquent as well as conscious. My, we are truly recovering by leaps and bounds.” She snarked. “I’ve alerted Healer Abbott that you’ve waken but I’ll need to do some checks before he gets here. Are you up to answering a few questions?”

“I…guess?” Harry replied, still somewhat reeling by the younger image of his rivals mother. “Sorry–Earlier when I was awake did you say your name was Narcissa Black?”

The blonde nodded. “I did, and you, quite rudely, decided to collapse before introducing yourself so how about we start with that. Can you recall your name, Mr…?”

“Peverell.” Harry frowned. He hadn’t meant to say that but it was almost like something took over and spoke for him. Odd, but then again, what wasn’t odd about his current situation? “Harry Peverell.”

“Peverell…” Narcissa hummed as she began to wave her wand over his chest. “Where have I heard that name before?”

Before he could respond, the door to his room suddenly swung open and admitted the older balding man he remembered to be Healer Abbott.

“Ah! Good, you’re awake!” Healer Abbott smiled. “How are you feeling young man?”

“Like I got my head done in by a bludger,” Harry grumbled.

Healer Abbott laughed while Narcissa simply rolled her eyes and continued to scan him. 

“Well in the state you were in I say that’s an improvement! Now, Student Healer Black here will continue to do a few tests while I ask a few questions if that’s alright Mr…” Healer Abbott took a quick peek at the floating clipboard where the matching quill was jotting down notes as Narcissa worked. “Peverell? Hmm…” The older man seemed to squint his eyes at the clipboard before shaking his head. “Ah, no matter! First things first Mr. Peverell. Can you tell me what you remember about your arrival here?”

Images of a tall robed figure, a grey gnarled tree, and blinding flashes of light all passed through his mind in a second.

“Nothing.” He said. “It’s all sort of…blank.”

Healer Abbott hummed and plucked the clipboard and quill from the air, quickly jotting something down before he continued.

“I see. And what about before? You were in quite the state when you first appeared. The magical exhaustion, while the most detrimental, was not the only ailment we had to treat. Do you remember what caused it all?”

Harry frowned and wracked his brain for the best answer. The scrapes and bruises were easy enough to pass off for a scuffle gone wrong. The magical exhaustion was another story, however. It wasn’t like he could tell them about the whole ordeal in the Department of Mysteries, let alone the incident with the Time-

Harry sat up fully. Healer Abbott made a sound of protest but Harry ignored him, instead turning his attention fully on the visage of a much younger Narcissa Malfoy beside him…only she wasn’t a visage was she? She was actually her.

Oh, he was so incredibly fucking thick!

‘You do not belong here and yet we cannot send you back from whence you came. Perhaps an alternative is in order…’

Those were the words Death had first spoken to him within that inky black realm. It hadn’t meant send him back as in back to the Ministry…it had meant back to his own time.

The Time Turner’s, Death’s cryptic discussion about rebelling against their gift, and even the blonde witch standing right next to him were all puzzle pieces that he’d been too daft to figure out. He had to be sure though.

“What’s today’s date?!” He blurted out, ignoring Abbott’s protests for him to lie back.

“Excuse me?” The older man asked in surprise.

“Sorry.” Harry shook his head. “It’s just–You said I was unconscious for a while. I wanna know how long ‘awhile’ is.”

“Oh!” Healer Abbott said. “Well, it’s June 17th. You arrived here early morning of June 16th I believe.”

“Right, yeah-” Harry chuckled. “June 17th of what year though?”

Healer Abbott furrowed his brow in confusion. The man glanced up to Narcissa–and Harry tried hard not to grimace at the thought that it was actually her–who looked just as confused as he did.

“1976,” Narcissa answered. “The same year it’s been for the last six months, Mr. Peverell.”

Harry forced a small smile on his face and nodded. “Right–yeah of course. Just had to be sure, y’know?”

Both Narcissa and Healer Abbott nodded but neither looked very convinced. Thankfully, the sudden wave of wooziness that overcame him dashed any further questions as he fell back against the bed with a groan.

“Oh my! Black get another nutrient potion!” Healer Abbott ordered. “You’re fine young man, just some lingering effects of the exhaustion. Your magical core was forced to feed off your body’s natural energy reserves to keep from experiencing any permanent damage. Unfortunately, it carries a nasty side effect of making you a bit anaemic. Steady now.”

Healer Abbott helped him back up to a much more relaxed sitting position. Narcissa returned a moment later carrying a vial of a bubbly brown concoction. Healer Abbott took it and passed it gently to Harry. The potion smelled truly vial and he had to force himself not to gag as he titled the vial back and let the sludgy liquid slide down his throat.

“Bloody hell!” He gagged. The taste was eerily reminiscent of week-old socks, however, despite its horrid taste he did feel a little better already. The wooziness had already faded and the pounding in his head subsided to a more bearable level.

Healer Abbott chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder. “Sorry about the taste lad. Would you believe me if I said it’s actually an improvement than how it used to taste a few years ago?” The man laughed again as Harry shook his head. “No matter–I believe we can pick this back up later. You need some rest. I’ll check back in in a few hours, yes?” At Harry’s nod, the man smiled and turned to Narcissa. “Come along Black, let’s let Mr Peverell some peace and quiet.”

Narcissa nodded and followed diligently, dimming the lights behind her with a flick of her wand. Harry watched her leave, her presence something he couldn’t possibly ignore now. Their eyes met one last time as the blonde shut the door behind her, and for a moment, Harry could almost swear there was the faintest hint of recognition within her purple irises.

-

Narcissa frowned as she clasped the door closed. Something about the man within set her on edge, but what exactly it was she just couldn’t put her finger on.

Before she could ruminate on that strange feeling any longer, a hand on her shoulder forced her to turn and meet the stern gaze of her boss.

“Sir?” She asked hesitantly.

“I want you to send an owl to the DMLE. Tell them we may have a potential case of-” Abbott glanced towards the door. “-chronomancy abuse.”

“Chronomancy abuse?” Narcissa frowned. “You think he’s a time traveller?”

“Perhaps. I’m not completely certain, but all the evidence certainly points that way.”

Narcissa shook her head in confusion. “What evidence?”

Healer Abbott sighed and gestured for her to follow. They set a brisk pace down the hall whilst Abbott explained.

“Well for starters, he was obviously lying about not remembering a thing. Then there were his odd questions about the date. However, in truth, neither of those things are what truly aroused my suspicions. No–it was his name.” Abbott paused and glanced around the hall before turning back to her. “What do you know of House Peverell, Black?”

Narcissa wracked her brain. Ever since Harry had told her something had been itching in the back of her mind. Now that she had a moment to think, she could vaguely recall something her mother spoke of years ago during her lessons about the noble wizarding houses.

“They were an old family. One of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, yes?”

Abbott nodded. “Indeed, though that is not what I meant. The Peverells were a…secretive bunch. There were a lot of rumours about the family and their dealings with obscure magics and dark rituals. Of course, nothing was ever proven, but now I almost wonder if those rumours weren’t just rumours after all.”

“Because of the rift he appeared though?” She asked, referencing Harry.

“No.” Abbott shook his head. “Because the Peverell family went extinct damn near a century ago.”

With that the man turned and stalked off down the hall, leaving Narcissa behind staring at the door to her raven-haired patient’s room.

-

Arcturus Black swirled his glass of aged brandy in thought. It was a particularly rare vintage–older than even him and worth a bloody fortune, but this evening called for it.

It had been a particularly…taxing day on his patience.

First, he had to endure another tirade from his cow of a daughter-in-law as she screeched about his decision to abstain from fully banishing Andromeda from House Black. The twisted sow was foolish enough to believe she had any say in the matter. He’d been forced to remind her of her place, though he may have truthfully taken a small ounce of joy in doing so. Whilst Melania may not allow him to kill the harpy just yet, his wife had no such qualms over his use of the cruciatus.

After that, he’d been subjected to a whole day of endless tedium at the hands of the embarrassment that is the Wizengamot. Nine and a half hours in session and all they bloody discussed was a potential piece of regulation regarding cauldron thickness. It was a fucking wonder this country got anything done!

Having survived his near-death by boredom, his day of annoyance had only continued once he returned home.

Arcturus grit his teeth in fury. Abraxas Malfoy had the gall to show up to his home unannounced. The pompous peacock thought his spawn worthy of Arcturus’s Granddaughter and had been persistent in his attempts to strike up a marriage contract between the two. Arcturus scoffed and took a generous sip of brandy. Wealthy the Malfoys may be, they were still nothing more than a band of trounced-up peasants with a penchant for wiggling their way among their betters. What power they did have was negligible and even their ‘enormous’ wealth paled in comparison to the Black family vaults. Abraxas Malfoy was the worst of them. Just as greedy as his father and double the ambition. Too bad the imbecile didn’t inherit his father’s cleverness. Scorpius Malfoy had been somewhat of a threat politically, Abraxas was at best an annoyance.

Sighing to himself, Arcturus leaned back into his favourite chair within his study and gazed at the sprawling family tapestry before him. It’d be a cold day in hell when the name Malfoy joined the ranks of the Black line. 

Following the sprawling branches he soon found his name nestled tightly with his dear Melania. To the side stood his older siblings' names, theirs faded and grey as they’d been for some time now. His dearest little sister’s remained bright and vibrant, fortunately. He’d bet anything Dorea and her git husband Charlus didn’t have to deal with the likes of Abraxas Malfoy, Arcturus mused. It was times like this when he actually envied the Potter tradition of marrying for love.

Before he could further ponder the Potters and their other odd traditions, a small shimmer emanating from the family tapestry sprang to life. Arcturus immediately sat up, his glass of expensive brandy smashing against the floor forgotten as he beheld the sight before him.

There, nestled between where the Black line branched off to the Potter, a new name appeared, and with it came a flurry of questions that Arcturus could hardly comprehend.

Harry J. P. B. Peverell

B. 31st July 19~~

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Author’s Note

It continues! Seems like Harry isn’t as good of a liar as he thought. Also: Arcturus makes an appearance! I’ve been wanting to feature him in a fic for a while now. He’s probably one of my favourite fanon Black family characters and I hope I can do him justice in this work!

Thanks for reading!