To Before, From After: A Next Generation Harry Potter Time Travel FanFic

Chapter Four

It took a second for the black smoke to fade. The children weren't quite sure what it was exactly, but it felt as they had been through the Floo network, but their feet were in the same places.

Once James regained his vision he looked around at a room that looked similar to the 'room', but was old and filled with unfamiliar things. 

'Where are we?' he heard Lily ask from across the room. Her voice held a tone that was mostly curious, but James knew that if she didn't receive the correct answer, she would become really angry, really fast and her anger would be unleashed on James.

James scanned the room, 'What do you mean?' he jokingly, but still nervously laughed. 'Prank! haha,' he said unconvincingly. 

'So,' began Roxanne. 'You're trying to tell us that that thing that just fell on the floor was a pranking device thats only use is to make rooms black and fill them with shit?'

'Roxy, language!' hissed Fred at his twin sister, who began to look angrier by the second.

Teddy's face was the worst, because he knew what had happened. During his Auror training, they had only spent a short time on this topic as it was widely considered now to be obsolete, but he now realised that it was a good thing he was taking notes then.

'James, Fred,' Teddy started, his words harsh as they were spat out through his clenched teeth. 'Do you have any idea what that thing was and what you have done?'

Teddy began to get angry and the younger kids got scared, luckily Victorie was there to comfort them.

'That was a time turner, not a pranking device. It was used to take people back in time decades ago, but they went out of use becuase they were considered too dangerous, because if someone dropped one and managed to break it, it would cause severe time shifting.'

'Meaning?' James asked, but Rose butted in first.

'That we've just travelled back in time.'

'Shit,' said Fred.

'Fred, language!' Roxanne hissed at him.

'What time are we in?' Molly asked, visibly starting to freak out.

'Well, one thing is for sure,' James stared as he looked around the dimly lit room for clues. 'This is pre-Battle of Hogwarts.' everyone stared at him as to how he would know such a fact, although it was common sense, they were just astounded he put the things together.

'That's obvious,' said Albus, chiming in for the first time. 

'But that still leaves like one hundred possible years before then, doesn't it?' Scorpius said trying to be helpful.

'Actually 214, but whose counting,' said Rose, trying to laugh her terrible joke off.

James was slowly going into a mental break down. He had always, always make sure that his pranks didn't hurt people, every prank that they did was not on people, but on things, inanimate objects. Suddenly he had transported his most of his family to an unfamiliar time, he knew that things could end badly. 

He scanned the room. Rose, Roxy, Molly and Dom along with Al and Scorpius were trying to be the brains of the group, figuring out a logical way. Himself along with Fred were constantly met with the glaring looks of a Teddy whose face was so angry it was almost the shade of a tomato. Victorie was playing the mother of the group, looking after the younger ones.

This was bad, this was really bad, like really, extremely bad.

And that's when it got worse.

Everything in the room went quiet when they heard footsteps getting louder. Accompanying them was a voice, it sounded sweet, but annoyed. It was a girls voice, still young, about their age.

'Mum, was it the first or second door?' She called out as she approached the door.

Every single person's heart was racing at a hundred miles an hour. 

James was terrified that this might be the end, just because of some stupid prank.

Another lady, presumably the girls mother yelled back. From where they were in the room, it was faint, but still audible. 'The first one, now hurry up dear!'

The footsteps paused.

The handle turned.

The door was jolted opened.

Light shined in, and the girl screamed.

-----

It was an ear piercing scream, but no one blamed her for it. It was what any reasonable person would have done if they found a bunch of strangers in their attic, unannounced and unknown. 

Though they only got a short glimpse of the girl, she looked familiar to many of them, her long red hair being a stand out. 

Thoughts raced through Teddy's head. He knew that prior to Harry owning the house, it was owned by the Black family, all of which had trademark black hair, meaning that this girl was not a member of the Black family. But he recalled a story which Harry had told him years ago.

When Harry was entering into his fifth year, Teddy's father, among other members of the Order of the Phoenix, rescued him from his muggle home and brought him here, to Grimmauld Place when his Godfather, Sirius Black was still alive.

Harry always remarked on how great it was to have everyone he loved together in one house, something that Teddy knew he still tried to do today. But Teddy also remembered that they remained at the house for Christmas, and although it was the last time his first real family was together, he barely remembered any of it. 

Now Teddy knew why.

He put together the pieces of the puzzle in his head. 

That girl.

Oh god.

The only red headed girl that would have been staying here at this time.

Ginny.

Teddy saw her run away screaming. She didn't know it, but she had just seen her future children, nieces and nephews.

As she left, the room fell into a complete silence, only broken by Fred. 'Wonder what she was so scared of?'

'Who was she?' Asked Albus.

'I dunno, but she looked familiar,' replied Lily.

'That's because she was your mother,' said Teddy, allowing the gravity of his words to pull each person in the room into a spiral of their own thoughts.

'Wait...' said James obviously unable to wrap his head around this.

'Does that mean...' began Dom.

'Yes,' said Teddy.

'And they...' asked Molly.

'Yes.'

'Oh God,' breathed Fred.

Though nothing was said, the room was loud. People's thoughts, their stresses, their comprehensions, though unsaid were heard. Until they heard a thud near the doorway.

It sounded familiar, like someone had just apparated. 

In fact, when Teddy looked at the doorway he concluded that someone had apparated, because he saw two red-headed guys, identical in looks standing in the doorway with blank looks on their faces.

Everyone in the room looked at these two strangers and knew exactly who they were, and what will become of them.

'Geez,' said one of the guys in the doorway. 'You look like you have seen a ghost.' he laughed.

Fred stood their silently, wanting to be able to tell the pair that to him, they had seen a ghost, but he knew that he couldn't say a word.

'Better question,' said the other one. 'Who are you and what are you doing in our attic?'