Until Such A Time

Disclaimer: The usual stuff about characters not belonging to me. Old, but necessary.

Author's Notes: I know not as many people are into this story as "Organ", but it's all good. I'm having fun telling it and I hope if you're reading, you're having fun doing so as well. Take care, and thank you for the reviews thus far!

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Until Such A Time
by Kristen Elizabeth

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"All right." With her foot, Emma pushed the door to her room open. Both of her hands were occupied carrying a bowl, a plate, napkins and utensils and a glass in the crook of her arm. She shut the door the same way and smiled at Harry. "It's beef stew and homemade bread. Mum's not the greatest cook in the world, but she..."

He lifted his stony gaze from the spot on the floor on which it had been fixed since he arrived back in his daughter's room. "Tell me about Ron."

She paused as she set the bowl onto her dressing table. "Do you want salt? I can run downstairs and grab the cellar if you..."

"You promised me answers. Here's my question." Harry stood up and approached the girl. "What's happened to Ron?"

Emma busied herself arranging her father's dinner dishes as she spoke. "He's not one of us anymore."

"What does that mean?" Harry pressed. He needed to hear her say the words.

"He's..." She spun around, his fork still in her hand. "He's a Death-Eater, Dad." After a moment of watching closely for his reaction, she continued, "That wasn't how I wanted to tell you. And you probably don't believe me anyways. So...you'll probably want the whole story."

Harry gave her a cool look and took the fork from her. Despite everything that was happening, his stomach still called for attention. "You talk." He sat at the dressing table. "I'll eat."

"You're taking this rather well," Emma commented, puzzled.

"Let's just say..." He swallowed a mouthful of stew. "I saw something I shouldn't have." Harry took another bite. "Tell me how it came about. Imperius Curse? Brainwashing?"

Emma hesitated. "None of the above." She sat on her bed and crossed her legs Indian-style. "He went over of his own free will."

"I don't believe that," Harry replied simply. "Not Ron."

"Yeah, well....it's a fucked up world." Her words were harsh. "I've never actually met him...but I've seen his face pressed against our window more than once. You have to understand..." She ran a hand through her hair. "It all happened so fast. Your death, my birth, and before Mum had even been released from the hospital, he was gone. His first assignment under Voldemort was to deal with us. That's when we went into hiding." Emma took a breath. "So...he's been trying to get us for eighteen years. I think even Voldemort might have lost interest, but not Ron. It's some sort of...personal mission of his. Now do you see why there's dark circles under Mum's eyes?"

Harry set down his fork and took a long sip of water. He had to keep performing these little actions in order to keep from shutting down entirely. Every instinct told him that the girl was wrong or lying...but he had seen for himself, quite plainly, that her story was true.

Swallowing, he tore off a piece of bread from the hunk she had brought him. "Is that everything I need to know?"

"What else do you *want* to know?"

He bit into the bread. "For starters...are all of my friends working for Voldemort now? Isn't there anyone trying to fight back? Or are they all dead?"

Emma pulled her knees up and tucked them under her chin. "There's a small resistence. How do you think Mum and I survive? Our Secret-Keeper is one of them...but I don't know who it is. Mum says it's safer that way." She scowled. "I really ought to know. I'm not a child anymore!"

"I'm sure she's just...just trying to protect you." The bread was like a lump of dust in his mouth. He could only choke it down with the help of a sip of water. "Who's in the resistence?"

"People..." she hesitated. "I was going to take you to them tomorrow."

Harry choked. "Do they know about your little...whatever it was you did to bring me here? What was it, anyway? Seems like pretty advanced magic for someone who's never had formal training."

"It's actually something I stumbled upon. A theory in one of Mum's books that was never proven." Harry waited for her to go on. "Basically, a spell that could send an enchanted item back in time to bring..." She gave him her mother's dazzling smile. "The details aren't important; what matters is that it worked."

"I'd say the details are *very* important. When it comes time to send me back to my world, I expect them to be very important to you, too." He let the matter slide for the time being as he finished eating. "The only thing I still don't understand is what you expect me to do to change this world. It seems like anything I could do would only be a scratch on the surface."

Emma fidgeted. "Well, that's why I'm taking you to the underground tomorrow. They'll know what to do, much better than I. Although...I didn't exactly do this with their blessings." A sheepish look skitted across her pretty face.

Harry set aside his napkin. "Did you actually think *any* of this through, or did you just go ahead and do it?"

"You know, everything I've ever heard about you says that you have absolutely no right to lecture to me...or anyone...about impetuousness! But to answer your question, yes. I thought it through so much that I almost got sick of thinking about it. All my life, I've wanted..." The girl looked away for a minute. "I think that if you could defeat Voldemort, more people would have the courage to fight back."

"He killed me," Harry replied shortly. "What makes you think it'll be any different if I face him again?"

Emma looked back at him. "Because this time...you'll be prepared. He won't catch you off-guard again." She licked her lips. "That's how it happened. He rose without any forewarning...and you were the first person he came after. He got you..."

He held up a hand, silencing her. "You were right. There are probably some things I shouldn't know." Several minutes ticked by as father and daughter studied each other. Finally, Harry said, "You look so much like your mother."

"I know. Sometimes..." She laughed bitterly. "I used to wish that I had favored you. Then at least I would have known what you looked like. Mum...took down all the pictures of you a long time before I could become interested in them. It hurts....she hurts when she thinks about you." Emma shrugged, but the careless motion was weighed down with emotion. "She's never healed."

"My Hermione..." he whispered. "This is a nightmare."

His daughter tucked her hair behind her ears. "I'm sorry...that I pulled you out of your world. I know it's probably a million times better there." With sharp movements, she jumped off the bed. "You know what? Let's not wait until tomorrow."

"But..."

"There's no point in delaying, right?" Emma crossed her arms tightly across her modest chest. "The sooner we fix this world, the sooner you can get back to yours." She paused for a second. "And away from this...nightmare."

Failing to pick up on the hurt in her words, Harry lifted his head. "Let's get going then."

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Apparating to a remote loch in the Scottish highlands took only seconds; Harry was more than a little impressed at Emma's ease with the advanced wizard skill. Hermione had taught her...their daughter well. Someone had been looking after the two women, he was also pleased to note. Emma had her own wand from Ollivander's, although she had likely never been so much as allowed to step foot into Diagon Alley. It must have taken a great deal of coordinated effort with an even greater amount of love for his wife and child for someone to make sure that they weren't cut off from the world entirely.

When they materialized on the edge of the deep lake, Emma gestured to the water. "I hope you're good at Bubble-Head charms."

"You mean..." Harry groaned to himself. "They're underwater??"

"Of course not. The entrance to the cave is underwater, that's all." The girl pulled her wand from the inside pocket of her coat. "Ready?"

Fortunately, Harry remembered the charm from a recent raid on a manor house in Wales that had an old-fashioned moat around it. With his own wand, he conjured the charm around his head and when it was in place, hesitantly joined his daughter in the cold lake.

They stood in waist-deep water, shivering for a minute. "Just...follow...me," Emma instructed, her teeth chattering. With that, she let her whole body slip under the glass surface of the loch. Harry took a deep breath, but then, remembered himself. Breathing normally, he ducked his head under the water.

Emma was already several yards away, descending into deeper waters with clean breast-strokes. Harry still wasn't all that great of a swimmer, but he managed to keep a decent pace behind her. There was little light at the depth at which they leveled off and there was still a good hundred feet of water below them. Harry tried not to think about it, tried to keep focused on Emma's feet as they kicked in front of him.

But he couldn't ignore the sudden feeling that they were not alone in the water. This fear was all-too concretely confirmed when he looked down and saw a massive, dark green creature swimming at their pace directly beneath them.

His first instinct was to panic; Harry shot his arm out ahead of him on one of Emma's kicks and grabbed her slender ankle. She stopped swimming and shook off his hand. Turning around, she faced him with a puzzled look. Harry pointed down.

After taking a look, Emma shook her head, releasing a stream of air bubbles from the protective shield around her head, and pointed to the direction they had been heading. Harry squinted; he could just make out the comforting sight of a stone wall. They had reached the caves.

Beneath them, the creature turned around in circles, seemingly contented to tease the humans above. Emma reached for her father's hand and pulled him through the water, kicking for both of them. They reached the dark mouth of the underwater cavern only a minute later. Harry let her pull him into it; he took one look back at the lake. The creature was swimming away, its massive tail swaying behind its girth.

The passage they entered was narrow and it took much concentrated effort to maneuver through it. Harry followed Emma, suddenly grateful to be alive at all, whether that be alive in his own world or this one. Alive. He swallowed. The entire reality of what the future had held in store for him had he stayed in his own time hit him like a shockwave. She had said he died a week before she was born. That meant he only would have had three weeks, give or take, to live.

It was a paralyzing thought.

But he had little time to think about it; in another minute, he and Emma emerged from the passageway. He could see light in the water above. They kicked for it and broke the surface seconds later.

"What the bloody hell was that?" he immediately demanded to know. His voice echoed off the rounded cave ceiling.

Paddling in the water, Emma smothered a laugh. "I'm sorry. I forgot all about Ness."

"Ness?" Harry blinked. "You mean...Nessie? The Loch Monster?"

Emma nodded. "But it's not actually a girl. So, it's Ness. Don't worry...he wouldn't harm anyone. Well, anyone who's welcome here, that is." She glanced around to get her bearings. "Come on." She started a slow free stroke towards the cave wall. Harry sighed and followed her again, through a dug-out hole in the wall just below the water line. They came out into another cave, fifty times larger than the one in which they had just been.

"The Order of the Phoenix," Emma said softly. "Or...what's left of them."

Harry looked around. There was dry land in this cave; along the water's edge there were several clumps of hastily-erected tents. He could see the dancing shadows of fire mixed with the water's reflection on the walls, could smell food being cooked, could hear low voices speaking to each other.

His daughter cleared her throat and moved her body in front of his as to hide him. "When is Bertie Bott going to make a loch-flavored bean?" she asked as loud as possible.

"Hey everyone!" a voice called out. "Look who's come to visit!"

"Emma." Harry recognized the voice immediately. He closed his eyes, hoping it was true and not just wishful thinking on his part. "What the bloody blazes are you doing here, child?"

Emma hesitated as she treaded water. "I...brought a...a surprise. Okay, so there really isn't any good way to do this." She kicked away from Harry.

All too suddenly exposed, Harry focused on the shore. There was only a handful of people gathering along it, but many of them were people he knew well. Hot tears mixed with the lake water on his cheeks. Fred (or George, he couldn't be sure), Percy, and Charlie Weasley. Neville Longbottom. Lavender Brown. Seamus Finnegan. Cho Chang. Hagrid. Remus Lupin.

Gasps. Shocked expressions on instantly pale faces. Tears. Soft cries.

"Harry." Lupin stepped forward, ignoring the fact that he was slowly walking forwards. He put a hand to his mouth; his legs gave out and he dropped to his knees into the shallow water. "Harry," he repeated. "How? This isn't...possible."

There was a tremendous splash as Hagrid dove into the water and waded out. He grabbed Harry up into a bone-crushing hug. "It's not poss'ble...but 'ere he is! 'arry...'arry. We thoug' we lost yer..."

"We did." On the shore, Percy crossed his arms. "Harry is dead. Harry has been dead...for a long time." His eyes narrowed slightly. "This could be a trick. Emma, get out of the water before..."

Fred, it was Fred, Harry decided, slapped his brother on the back much harder than necessary. "Don't scare her like that, you git." But he looked at the water, anxiously. "Emma, love...why don't you just come up here anyways? Just in case?"

Emma shook her head. "No, it's all right. He really is Harry...my father. I promise you it's not an illusion."

"But look at him," Seamus pointed out in his Irish drawl. "He hasn't aged a bit. It can't be Harry."

"It *is* a trick!" Lavender cried out. "Voldemort's outdone himself this time. Sweetie..." She gestured to Emma. "That is not your father. Please, just come to us and we'll take care of everything."

Harry was unable to speak up in his own defense; Hagrid's hug had turned into one of restraint. He looked at Lupin; the older man was in the same position, staring at him with blank eyes. Beside them, Emma began swimming towards the shore. "No, you don't understand." When her feet touched solid ground, she stood up. "It's my father! It's just my father...from the past."

Neville frowned. "What do you mean?"

Emma wrung her hands, avoiding everyone's eyes. "You remember that little time-travel idea I had awhile back?" She smiled as brightly as possible. "Well, guess what? It worked!"

The adults along the shore exchanged looks. "Emma," Cho began patiently. "We explained to you the problems....what could happen. What could go wrong. We were rather firm if I remember correctly."

"Yes, but..."

"You actually did it?" Amazement shone in Charlie Weasley's eyes. Catching the angry glares he received, he coughed. "How could you be so foolish?" he quickly added.

Emma was crestfallen. "But...you all always say, 'if only Harry were still alive.'" She glanced at each of the people who had played such a huge role in her life. One of them, she was one-hundred percent sure, was their Secret-Keeper. "And now he is! He can help us...I mean, you." She took a breath. "I timed it so that I would get him a few weeks before the Rising. He's my father..." Emma bit her trembling lip. "I just wanted to help."

"Of course you did." Lupin stood up, apparently recovered from his initial shock. He waded further into the lake until he was only a few yards away from Hagrid and Harry and still able to stand. "Harry..." He shook his head of shaggy grey hair. "It's like looking at a picture..."

Harry licked his lips. "I can't even imagine what you're all thinking." He paused. "Perhaps I can. This has been...trying for me, too. One minute I was digging through rubble with Ron..." The reactions to the name varied from dark looks to angry embarrassment. "...and then next, I was here." He attempted to chuckle. "Just...dead."

"You're here," Lupin repeated. "I can't believe it." He pushed out into the water, swam over to his best friend's son and grabbed him up. "You're back. Thank god, Harry...you're back."

On the shore, Neville put his arm around Lavender's waist. "You were saying earlier that you wanted things to come to a head, love?" He nodded towards the water. "I think we've got the means now."

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To Be Continued