"We've been following a wizard we believe is responsible for Dumbledore's death, and the attack here ," Ron whispered to Luna hoarsely. They remained in the hall, watching as Hermione held the lifeless form of her son.
Luna stared at him blankly, unable to comprehend the meaning; Hermione sobbed softly into her son's shoulder, she was fully engulfed in her newfound grief.
"This wizard is a time shifter; he controls time as easily as we breathe," Ron added.
"Do you know who he is?" Luna asked.
"Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy, must have come here from another reality. He's working with him," Harry said with contempt, ignoring Luna's question.
"Yes, Harry discovered his identity recently; I still find it difficult to believe he's the one doing this," Ron replied.
Annie leaned up to her father's ear and whispered, "Dad, Ben isn't dead."
Her message was as powerful as a stunning spell, evident from Harry's vacant stare.
"Daddy, please listen, that's what I'm trying to tell you, that's not Ben. I know where he and Arty are hiding," she whispered again.
"What?" he said, his face went from grief to shock, his mood also shifted quickly, sending an equally confusing message to his wife, forcing her to look at Harry.
"How?" he asked.
"Shhh, we have to let everyone believe that's Ben. That manuscript I have, the one like yours, I used one of the spells I found in it," she said.
Harry shook his head in obvious confusion. "Your mother has read them all, and had difficulty with those."
"There were several interesting ones for transfigurations; I used one to turn a live mouse into a living copy of Ben, and gave it a sleeping draught. That 'thing' in there is dead, but it's not Ben. I did the same thing with Arty. They are both safe with Rudy and Lucy," she whispered.
Harry grabbed his daughter in a tight hug; she felt his relief as he held her.
"Daddy, stop. I dreamed this once; a long time ago… there was… a man with long blond hair. He was hurting a boy like Ben. But the boy didn't die. It was another boy, younger than Ben, and…" she paused.
"You're a clever little witch. Just as good, if not better then your mum at transfigurations," he whispered interrupting her.
"This won't give us much time; the copies of Ben and Arty won't last long, maybe another half hour. I'm surprised they fooled anyone this long," Annie said.
"Where are the others?" Harry asked her.
"I… can't tell you, you'll have to trust me. We need to leave as soon as possible if this is to work. I expected that Gnome fellow to show up soon; I really don't trust him," she said. She finally managed to push her father off, and grabbed her mother's arm pulling her from the body.
"We can't…" Hermione protested reaching for the lifeless form.
"Mum, please, we have to leave now," Annie insisted. "Uncle Ron, meet us at the kennel in ten minutes."
Harry's brow rose and he nodded with recognition. "Hermione, she's right, we can't do anything for the boy; we have to leave now."
Annie and Harry managed to pull the grieving mother from the room. Annie pointed her wand and her mother's wand at each other and tapped them together twice. She turned to her confused parents, and together the three vanished with a loud pop.
In the unusually late morning fog on a quiet street in London, three people appeared from the mist. They stepped quickly past number ten and then past number eleven and finally stood in front of an empty patch of unkempt grass in the middle of a small square.
"She's quite clever," Harry commented to a still confused Hermione.
"Come this way, the others should be waiting for us inside," Annie beamed.
The incomplete family walked up the worn stone steps to stand at the scratched, shabby black door. Harry waved his hand over the silver doorknocker and heard loud, metallic clicks and the clatter of chains from the other side. The door creaked open to reveal an almost totally dark hall.
"Come on," a voice instructed from just inside the hall.
"Sirius?" Harry asked and peered into to darkness.
"Someone bloody well better tell me what's happening, or so help me…" Hermione finally snapped.
"Shhh, mum, not here," Annie replied, closing the door sharply behind them.
"Where's Ben; where's my son?" Harry insisted, but was hushed by his Godfather.
"This way, quickly; we've made the necessary arrangements. No one will suspect where we're going," was all Sirius would say. He led them into the lounge, and straight to the fireplace.
"The floo?" Harry asked, but Sirius shook his head.
"Too easily traced, I've set up a portkey, we'll leave in a moment. If you were followed, the trail should end here," he replied, and picked up a newspaper from the mantel.
Without another word, the three Potters held a different corner of the newspaper, and waited. The wait was brief, as the four were pulled into a twisting vortex, spinning uncontrollable into a dark void. The sensation of queasiness passed quickly, as they found themselves in a pristine lounge of a small house. The sofa next to them contained three quivering occupants. They stared at the pair standing on either side of them, wand drawn.
"I should have known, Potter," the rotund man stated first.
"Daddy, t-that's the girl that attacked us," a young boy stammered.
" Dudley?" Harry questioned.
"You swore never to return! We've kept our end, even when Aunt Marge passed, Mum and Dad never spoke of you again," Dudley spit in detest.
Hermione turned to her daughter. "Anna Lily Potter, there'd best be an explanation for all this."
"I thought about what you and Dad told us, and sent word to Rudy that something might happen. He and Lucy brought Jerry, Ben and Arty here to hide once we were at the Burrow, hoping to leave the illusion that we ran off after Ben was found dead. There just wasn't time to inform either of you; Aunt Ginny would understand why we had to leave. Rudy told me at the Burrow this morning he arranged with Uncle Sirius to meet first at his house, then he would bring us here," Annie explained.
"Daddy? Who are these people?" the boy asked Dudley again.
"This is my freakish cousin, and his freakish family," Dudley hissed.
"Lemme go," a muffled voice yelled out, and Ben came through the kitchen door into his mother's waiting arms.
"Ben!" Hermione screamed. "I thought…"
"It was Annie's idea," Ben tried to say while being smothered.
"Cousin?" The woman next to Dudley asked; her tone left little doubt Dudley never mentioned an extended family.
"Please don't blame him, Marjorie; we're not surprised he's never mentioned us in the past. My name's Harry Potter; this is my wife Hermione and our children Annie and Ben," Harry said briefly to introduce themselves.
Marjorie's glare left little doubt that Dudley 's future sleeping arrangements would be confined to the sofa.
" Dudley 's never mentioned a cousin before, and of course he's never mentioned your family. But then it was only a matter of time before distant relatives would be seeking to share his recent inheritance; you do know both his parents met an accident only a month ago," Marjorie replied and half-heartedly extended a hand.
Hermione lightly shook her hand and replied, "No, we had no idea Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had died, may I offer our condolences?"
"You may, but since you hadn't been mentioned in the will, don't expect a shilling from us," Marjorie smirked.
"Dad, are they like us?" Ben asked.
Harry smiled, and shook his head at his son's question, "No, but my Uncle managed a fair living. Dudley , the arrangements for this house stand; I don't expect a thing from you."
"Bugger this, Harry," Sirius interrupted. "We have a lot of work to do."
"You have a cousin and you never mentioned him?" Marjorie hissed at Dudley .
The Potters left the lounge for the now empty kitchen, accompanied by the others, to leave Dudley to his fate. Ben remained at his mother's side while Annie led the procession. Once safely away from the Muggle side of the family, the conversation resumed once they'd all sat at the table.
"So, we know who we must face, but who can we trust?" Annie began.
"I think only those in this room," Hermione said.
"What about Gnome? I kinda like the old dwarf," Ben commented.
"We really don't know much about him, but he's proven he is capable of concealing information. No, I don't believe we can trust him until we know more about him," Harry said.
"Then the safest first move is to learn what we can about Abraham Kristiansen," (who?) said.
"We could see what information we can find at the library in Hogwarts and in the Ministry," Ben offered.
"I doubt there would be any written details about him; he's covered his tracks quite well," Hermione replied.
"How about a Time-Turner?" Annie suggested.
"Good thought, but they are restricted and only permit limited travel back in time. To return to his 'origin' would be a one-way trip - whoever went back wouldn't be able to return," Harry said.
"If not a Time-Turner, then what about that Time-Portkey you mentioned? One of us can use it to travel back and investigate him," Annie said, beaming at the idea.
"No. It's far too dangerous. And the price to activate it…there's bound to be another way to learn what we need," Harry insisted. The tone of his voice strictly forbid further reference to that device.
"You may not have to, Dad: if what you've told me is true, there may be another way to trigger it," Annie said.
"No, that topic is closed. There's no way I'll allow it. I won't risk any of you," Harry snapped.
"Daddy, you said it was triggered when two family members of the 'traveler' were buried. For argument's sake, you do have two members of your family sitting in the lounge," Annie stated.
"Absolutely not; now you're thinking just like a Slytherin, plotting to kill members of your own family," Harry snapped. His anger sent sharp pangs through his wife's stomach.
"Dad, listen. Mum said that it was set to be triggered when she buried two family members. You've always assumed they had to be dead. What if to trigger it they just had to be buried?" she said quickly.
"Harry, she may have an idea that might work," Hermione said while rubbing her stomach.
Harry shook his head, "That means we'll have to split up. We know from past experience that could be disastrous. No, we have to be together for this to succeed. That means either we go as a family, and 'enlist' the aid of Dudley and his family or we all stay behind."
"There's another option," Radulphus offered. "Lucy and I could make that journey. I'm certain our cousins would help if we asked them."
"No, I don't want anyone outside this room to be aware of our actions. Ron and the others must believe we left because Ben was killed, and I'm certain they'll assume we went after his killers," Harry instructed.
"Harry, we have to split up. Remember that you don't physically travel back in time:your body stays behind. Someone would have to remain behind," Hermione said.
"Another point: we can't stay here, not with those people here. They'd ask too many questions. I suggested using this place to meet and regroup," Annie commented.
"Well, we could just trust Gnome. You said his home is isolated, no one would look for us there," Ben added.
"No, we can't trust him; not until we are certain of his story. There's no one place safe enough to stay during this 'journey'," Harry said.
"You're correct; there's no one place we can stay, but what if we kept moving?" Hermione suggested.
"That's impractical as well. That one time you were gone, I had enough difficulty keeping my head and tending to your physical needs," Harry replied. "Moving from place to place would be logistically impractical."
"But that was only if we moved from place to place. What if the place itself moved?" Annie asked enthusiastically.
"Exactly what I was thinking," Hermione agreed.
"Excuse us for being the dense males, but could you enlighten my son and me?" Harry asked.
"Simple, we hire a caravan and travel from location to location while you and mum are in the past. Rudy and Lucy will stay with us in case there are problems. All you have to tell us is what to do and you leave," Annie answered.
"It's a plan that could work.I It will let us learn first-hand what happened and how to correct things," Hermione added.
Harry shook his head lightly, "Ben, we've been out smarted. Pity we can't use that boat we had in the other world, it would be easier to avoid confrontation, and we'd be harder to track for the time we're gone. We'll need currency and provisions," Harry finally answered.
"A pleasure boat might be more comfortable, but with the exception of us, no one else has much experience with them," Hermione said, rejecting the thought.
"We could contact Jake; there's a chance he'll know how to handle a boat," Harry replied.
"Hmm, Jake and Eileen might be able to help," she thought out loud. "But, he's near seventy."
"We could send Sirius to fetch them, and Jake's still fit for a Muggle his age. They'll help in a moment's notice," Harry countered.
"I can be at Hogwarts in a moment with your request," Sirius said in reply to the unasked request.
"We have Muggle money left, Dad. We withdrew quite a bit before we ventured on this path," Annie said.
"Rudy, if I write you a bank draught, would you be able to cash it in a Muggle bank?" Harry asked.
"Yes, sir. I'll deal with that immediately," he said as he stood.
Harry also stood and opened the kitchen door, to retrieve his bag. "Good. I have a withdrawal slip in my rucksack. I believe ten-thousand pounds and fifteen thousand Euros should be enough," he said with the door slightly open. A muffled groan from the lounge left a slight grin on Harry's face.
Hermione noticed, and whispered in his ear, "Having a go with your cousin?"
He winked before replying "What makes you say that?"
"Oh, just a feeling," She said with a grin.
"Mum? Dad? What's the joke?" Annie asked; a hint of suspicion hung in her voice.
"It's nothing, just a bit of your grandfather in your father," Hermione replied, the ring of guilt echoed from her voice, evident she was amused.
"Hate to break this up, but if you want that draught filled today…" Radulphus said with an outstretched hand.
"Right," Harry said quickly and found a Muggle pen on the counter. A few moments later he handed two slips to the young Auror.
Radulphus nodded and tucked the two slips in his pocket, "Lucy, are you ready?" he asked.
"No, Rudy we need you to handle this alone, Lucy needs to remain and help us prepare," Harry commanded.
An affirmative nod from the young man hastened his departure followed by Sirius for his assignment.
"Then there's nothing left but to wait," Annie said. She stared at the door for a moment, before she continued. "Dad, did I really attack them?" she asked with a nod toward the door.
"That's the report we have, their memories should have been altered, but obviously that hasn't happened," Hermione replied for her husband.
Annie stood and walked to the door. "I should talk to them, and apologize for my actions," she sighed.
"Unfortunately that will have little affect on that lot, the important point is that we know you were not in control, and even more important you have the good conscience to want to bridge that chasm," Harry consoled his daughter.
"Darling, while we have time to wait, I think it's important to show the children why we have decided to sever ties with your family," Hermione said and stood. She crossed the room to the door where Harry and Annie stood.
"I would rather not leave them sealed," he replied, shaking his head.
"And it will help bring some closure to you as well. I think this is necessary," she insisted. "Ben, Annie, come along."
"Yes, Mum," the two answered in unison and followed their mother. Annie managed to hook Jerry's arm on the way. Harry reluctantly followed his family through the kitchen door, he felt as nervous at passing through this entryway as he did the first time he reluctantly passed through the Arch.
Hermione stopped at the door to the cupboard under the stairs. "This is the 'bedroom' your father was given when he was a boy, purely out of the kindness of the Dursleys' hearts," she said to the children, and tapped the latch with her wand.
"Your mother sealed this room before we were married, and it's never been opened since," Harry added.
The door creaked open, allowing the distinctive smell of stale air to escape. Inside remained the thin mat Harry had used as a bed for the first eleven years of his life. Small, broken figures remained on one shelf over his 'bed'. The children stared at the emptiness and cramped space he was forced to endure.
"You lived in here?" Ben asked in amazement.
"Rubbish, he had a full and unobstructed run of the house," Dudley squeaked from his vantage point.
"That's not entirely true, my 'dear' cousin," Harry hissed in anger. A loving hand rested on his shoulder, reminding him to control his temper.
"Well, I didn't want you bothering my things, I knew you'd break them first chance you got," Dudley rebutted.
"Right; I was the one that always ruined your things, is that how you remember it?" Harry asked in a commanding tone.
"I'm certain my husband and his family were nothing but kind to you, and…" Marjorie said in a vain attempt to defend Dudley .
"Silence, Muggle," Harry commanded. The air about him stirred, and his hair began to stand on end.
"Harry, please control your anger. Remember who you are. It's important we all remember who we are and how we began," Hermione cooed in her comforting tone.
Harry walked to the sofa; the swirling static of raw energy continued to encircle him. "My dear cousin, I hope you remember my pact, it seems to have stood the test of time. Do not run the risk of losing what you have. You would be best served to temper you family's brashness," Harry replied in a slightly calmer tone.
" Dudley , I'm sick of them holding us hostage, who the bloody hell does he think he is anyway?" Marjorie replied.
"Ah, since I'm certain he has never told you, I am a wizard, and my wife is a witch, as are my children a wizard and witch. I am, in my world, known as an Auror, similar to your law enforcement officers," Harry replied.
"My Dad's the best bloody Auror since Mad-Eye Moody," Ben snapped.
"There's no such…" Marjorie started before Dudley clamped his rather large and puffy hand over her mouth.
"Quiet, we can't say that or… or…" Dudley began.
"Or, you will be barred forever from this house. That was Harry's pact with the Dursleys in exchange for continuing to live in this house, which is legally owned by Harry," Hermione finished for Dudley .
"She's right. We all were sworn to secrecy, that's why I never told you about the lot of them," Dudley said in hopes of appeasing his wife's anger.
"I never intended to ever return here, but as it is, my daughter had other plans that may well have involved you more than you can imagine," Harry said as his anger subsided, the air about him calming and finally settling.
"We'll take our leave of your 'hospitality' soon enough. Once the others return from their errands," Hermione said hoping to suppress any additional hostility.
"Dad, we could use their help and in return release them from that promise." Annie suggested to her father.
"No, absolutely not," Harry started.
Dudley was quick on the offer and spoke up, "Look, Potter, reconsider your stand. If we could help, and in return you could forget us altogether, we'd all stand to come out ahead."
"This 'hovel' is worth that much to you?" Harry asked, being careful not to disclose any details.
"Well, it's not much, but it is our home," he replied.
"So this is his house?" Marjorie asked. "You always said we owned it outright from your father."
"A mere technicality; it is owned outright in the family," Dudley answered his wife.
"And if he helps you, you'll deed the house to us? And unlock that room for our use?" She asked.
"No, that's out of the question. I can't expect your help in this, we have a plan as it is," Harry replied, again rejecting them.
"We'll help in any way possible, in return for an unencumbered deed," Marjorie offered.
"Dear, you have no idea what you're saying," Dudley said without hesitation.
"Dad, let them help. This way we can join you and help you and Mum," Annie said.
"Absolutely out of the question, it's far too dangerous for you two. You'll both remain behind with Sirius, Rudy and Lucy. The moment the others return, we'll leave and implement the plan," Harry replied.
"Then Ben and I will have to trigger the device; we have no other choice," Annie replied.
Harry eyed his cousin and family, and shook his head, "We have to find another way. If he can create a Time-Portkey with a trigger that sophisticated, we should be able to replicate one without a trigger," Harry rationalized.
"Harry, you don't think…" Hermione suddenly asked and stopped her thought.
"What?" Annie asked.
"Remember in the Battle in the Ministry in our fifth year? There was a room in the Department of Mysteries. They had various time experiments in progress. You don't think they may have some device that would serve the same purpose?" Hermione asked.
"Interesting thought, except Time-Turners are designed to only move back in time a short period," Harry replied.
"Yes, I know. And there's the issue of returning to our time. The Time-Portkey was unique in that aspect," Hermione added.
"Mum has a locked room in the mansion, we've never been allowed inside. We may find some information there," Lucia added.
"Then that will be our first destination, once the others return," Harry said.
Now all they had was time to wait. Hermione took Harry's hand and faced their children and said, "There's another locked room I think you should see."
"No, leave it, there's nothing in that room," Harry protested.
"I insist. We promised to hide nothing from the children, and this is still a part of your life," Hermione insisted and marched up the stairs.
At the top of the stairs she stopped at the first door, one that was unpainted and in need of attention. She pulled her wand from her pocket and pointed it to the door.
"Harry, it you please, we have to open it together," Hermione reminded him.
Reluctantly, he placed his hand on the door and a pulse of energy surged through the wood. It slowly creaked open to reveal the same dimly lit room he stayed in as a boy growing into a young man. He had spent less time in this room than the cupboard under the stairs, but the memories in this room were stronger.
The small bed on the far wall took up most of the room; the covers had begun to rot, filling the air with a musty odor. The desk and chair were covered in cobwebs and the wardrobe's doors had fallen from the hinges. The emptiness of the room flooded Harry's memories, nearly all painful. But the memory of that moment he woke in her arms overshadowed them all.
"I spent six summers in this room, five were miserable. Your mother spent that last summer here with me; it was the best time I spent in this house," Harry muttered.
"The room is so tiny, where did you keep your things, Dad?" Ben asked.
Harry walked to the desk. "Hedwig's cage sat here," he said and picked up a lone feather.
"That was your father's owl in school; she was a right smart bird. She was faithful to the end," Hermione told the children, with a comforting hand to Harry's shoulder.
"What happened to her?" Annie asked.
"Age. She grew too old. Her wings became too weak to support her in flight, and she couldn't hunt. An old friend cared for her until she died about the time Ben was born," Harry replied.
Annie walked into the room and stepped on a certain board. The tale-tell creak sparked another old memory. Hermione knelt down to the spot, and carefully pried the plank up. Nothing remained inside the small hiding place, only the remains of webs long abandoned by the spiders that created them.
"This was the only place I could safely hide anything from my Uncle. It was strange he never knew about this loose board even when this was Dudley's spare room," Harry said.
"Mum, you said this house protected Dad because Grandmum's sister lived here, do you think this was part of the spell to keep Dad's privacy from his Uncle?" Annie asked as she took the plank from her mother.
"I don't follow," Hermione began.
"Look at this board; it's old and withered. The rest of the floor is newer, about the age of the house. It's possible this was placed here to give Dad a sanctuary for his personal things," Annie replied.
"Strange how I never noticed, but she's right. It may be charmed to prevent Muggles from noticing. You're a clever girl," Harry said with a grin. Annie handed him the board, and he tossed it to the spot. It made a dull, hollow thud when it hit.
"Now that's not right," Hermione said and picked up the board again. She lightly tapped it with her knuckle, but it sounded solid. She tapped it on the floor, and again heard the echo of a hollow plank.
She left it on the floor and stood, and before another word was uttered, she stamped on the plank, splitting it open. Inside, an ancient parchment fell to the floor and crumbled to dust. The only legible word had been 'Black.'
"Pity, now we have no idea where it came from," Hermione commented.
"The scroll ancient; how long can unprotected parchment last, Mum?" Ben asked.
"Several hundred years at the very least; some scrolls have lasted more than millennia," she replied.
"There's nothing else in this room I care to see again, and I'm certain the others will have returned," Harry said and turned to leave, followed by his family.
"Harry, we should lock this door again," Hermione reminded him, causing him to pause in the hall.
"Leave it, there's nothing for them in there anyway," he said without turning to look. He resumed his stride to the stairs.
Within the next few minutes, Radulphus and Sirius returned to Number Four Privet Drive from their errands, Eileen and Jake were briefed on the current events and Jake was tasked with hiring adequate transportation. Before another hour had passed, the latest additions to the group left together with a sizable amount of currency to complete their mission.
The massive door to Malfoy Manor stood before them; the three surviving members of the Malfoy family entered the mansion first. Childhood memories of these cold walls having once been those of a warm and welcoming home echoed in the faces of the three siblings.
"Mum's private study is…" Arty blurted out, but was quickly silenced by her brother's hand over her mouth.
"Shhh, we have no idea who's here. The alarm wards have been removed from the door," Lucia said to Arty and held her. Sirius, Harry and Radulphus quickly assumed a defensive posture, leaving the others safely behind them.
"Lucy, take the children to safety if anything happens to us," Hermione ordered.
"Lead the way, Rudy, we'll follow," Harry whispered. The younger man nodded his reply.
They carefully and silently made their way down the main hall, past the massive ballroom-sized lounge. Ancient tapestries hung from the ceiling covering the walls.
Statues made of British armor stood silent watch at the hall intersections creating perfect places to conceal them as they scanned for evidence of intruders. Radulphus waved the group on as he took the lead. Hermione remained behind with the children, and Lucia guarded against an ambush from the rear.
"Mum's study is past that door," Radulphus whispered to Harry and Sirius.
Carefully they stood on either side of the closed door. The distinctive sound of a desk drawer closing spiked their defenses further.
"Someone's in there," Sirius whispered.
"Lucy, get the children to safety," Hermione ordered and went to Harry's side.
"We'll go in on three; fire your first spell then duck and cover you eyes. Ready?" Harry held three fingers, then two and one.
Sirius burst the door open; a series of pops sounded as Lucia and the children vanished. Radulphus shot a stunner at his mother's desk. Harry cast a starburst of light, to blind anyone hiding in the room. Two distinctive thuds from behind the desk and the lack of sound told them the attack succeeded without injury.
"What a surprise: Lucius Malfoy," Sirius leered at the man on the floor. The unidentified man next to Malfoy moaned from the stun. Hermione pointed her wand at the second man. Ropes sprouted from her wand binding him.
"Who are you working for now?" Harry demanded.
"Potter, I'm not surprised to find you interfering once again," Malfoy sneered.
Before another word was uttered, Hermione pulled Radulphus aside, "This can't be good, go find your sister and stay with her."
"No, I need to…" he started.
"To follow orders. Now go," Harry ordered. Reluctantly the young Auror complied and slowly backed away. A distinctive pop signaled his departure.
"Now, where's your new 'master'?" Harry insisted.
Sirius turned to the door on a premonition, in time to see it swing open. Before he could react, he felt the room began to spin.
"Harr…" he tried to call out.
Harry and Hermione turned to see a figure in the door. Sirius seemed frozen, but translucent. In that split second, Harry made a single motion. His arm encircled his wife as they felt the room spin and dissolve. The floor fell from under their feet as they fell into a familiar void.
He held her with all his might; she wrapped her arms around his arm just to hold on. At first there was no light to see, no sound to hear, only the silent whoosh they felt as they fell.Hours seemed to pass as bits of colors and shapes flooded by them. Indistinguishable images blurred together, but none seemed real. One image of an old woman cuddling with a frail man sped past. Flashes and starbursts blinded them in the darkness. A lifetime later, they once again felt solid ground beneath their feet. Distant lights on the horizon and the light of the moon broke the darkness that now surrounded them.
In the dim light available, they could determine their surroundings were of an ancient pile of rubble, the remains of some large structure. The warm breeze left little doubt they were outside, but the disorientation of their journey yielded no evidence of their current destination.
"Harry?" Hermione cautiously asked.
"I'm here," he replied, still holding her.
"What happened?"
"I wish I knew. Sirius turned, and I saw someone cast a spell; he vanished and we were hit," he answered.
"I felt that before, but when?" she muttered.
"It felt like a strange form of Apparation, but none like I remember," he said finally, releasing his tight grip.
She looked up to the sky, and to the stars. "No, it wasn't Apparation; I think it may have been time travel, similar to that time I went into the past but different," she said. She squinted at the stars and pondered not only where they were, but when.