Time Warped

A/N: The Harry Potter universe belongs to JK Rowling. I'm only borrowing her characters for this story, if I owned them I'd be doing some serious retail damage right now. And I'm pretty sure you can guess where I picked up the plot for this story. I just love that movie. Okay, here we go with another story. Hope you like it!

A Hectic Morning

“Ten minutes, Ryan!”

The door shut again as Ryan Potter cringed at his father's stern warning. He could hear the familiar chaos of his younger siblings shouting and screaming, a Potter household ritual that took place daily. It was a little more chaotic this morning because it was September the First and his parents were trying to get their brood ready. Ryan put his pillow over his head, blocking out the noise as he snuggled face down under his covers.

“NOW, Ryan!”

His dad left the door open this time and Ryan groaned as the flood of noise disturbed the quiet of his sleepy sanctuary. Yawning and scratching his head he stepped into the hallway only to be nearly run over by his nine year old brother, Ethan who was sprinting down the hallway.

“Ethan, no running down the stairs!” his father called out as he made his way up the stairs. There was a crunching sound and his dad muttered under his breath, stooping down to pick up a small frame of eyeglasses. “Reparo. Michael, what are your glasses doing on the stairs!” His dad looked at him. “Decided to join the land of the living?” he asked. Ryan yawned in response

“Daddy, I have to go!”

Ryan's youngest sibling, five years old, was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. Her long dark hair had little pink ribbons in it and her little brown teddy bear was clutched tightly in her arms. His father knocked on the bathroom door.

“Emma, get out of the bathroom. You have a queue here,” he said to the door. “Ava has to go.”

“I just got in here!” Emma protested, opening the door to let her little sister in.

“Just help her will you?” his dad pleaded.

“Harry, have you seen Michael's glasses?” his mother called up from downstairs.

“Got them right here, Hermione!” he called back.

“Hey can I use the bathroom in your room?” Ryan asked his dad.

“Yeah sure,” his dad waved at him as he went back downstairs.

Eventually, Ryan did get ready for the day, shrank his school trunk down to the size of a shoebox and made his way downstairs. The family was settling down at the table for breakfast and Ryan set his trunk down next to his siblings'.

“Oh yeah, well you are a big…poopy head!” Ethan was saying to Michael. Adam, Ava's identical twin giggled furiously as Ava smiled and repeated, “Poopy head!”

He made his way to the kitchen and saw his mother and Emma talking. “I don't know what to do, mum. I mean, I can't seem to get past that friend stage with him, that's all he sees me as!”

His mother had a sympathetic smile on her face. “Oh, sweetie, he'll notice you. And if he doesn't, well, do you really want to be with anyone that daft who can't see how wonderful you are?”

Emma sighed, “I just want what you and dad have. I mean, when was it that he noticed that he had more than friend feelings for you?”

“September the First on platform Nine and 3/4 at the beginning of our seventh year,” his mother said dreamily. “I remember Draco Malfoy got into an argument with your father and uncle Ron earlier. He sent a curse in my direction, hitting me. I woke up a few hours later on the train with your father's face hovering above mine. I'll never forget the look on his face. We had our first kiss that night and I knew, just knew, that I was in love with him. That I always was in love with him and that we would be together forever.”

Ryan rolled his eyes at this sappy story that his sister made his mum tell over and over again.

“Heads up mum!” Toby shouted and Ryan's hand darted out to catch the blueberry muffin that was just about to make its target on his mother's head.

“Nice catch,” his mother praised and Ryan beamed, tossing the muffin lightly in the air before snatching it and taking a bite. “Good to know you aren't the greatest Seeker in Hogwart's history for nothing,” she ruffled his brown hair.

“Ahem,” his father cleared his throat from the doorway of the kitchen.

His mother's face lit up. “Second best,” she corrected as she reached for his dad as he wrapped his arms around her, going in for a kiss.

“Ugh!” Ryan gagged and made a hasty exit.

“Gross!!” Emma protested. “Could you please wait until your children have left the premises?”

“Then go…quickly!” his father said against his mother's lips.

Ryan and Emma sat down at the table where little Ava pointed to her oldest sister. “You eat bogies!”

~*~

King's Cross seemed especially busy today as the Potter family made their way through the crowd to Platform Nine and 3/4. Ryan's trunk fell out of his jacket pocket unnoticed as they crossed through the barrier. It was even more crowded here as the students waited with their parents. The familiar red heads of the Weasley clan made their way over.

“Hullo Uncle Ron!” chorused the three youngest Potters.

“Can you believe how crowded it is today?” he replied.

Ryan's parents reunited with some of their friend's as Caleb Weasley, his uncle Ron's oldest son walked over to him. He was a sixth year Gryffindor but he was Ryan's best friend despite the fact that he was a seventh year. The two of them chatted away as they waited for the whistle of the train to allow them to board.

“Hey Ryan,” Caleb nudged him and nodded his head in the direction of a very pretty girl with long dark hair and startling blue eyes. Ryan's throat suddenly felt as if it was swelling and that the atmosphere was closing in around him as she smiled and laughed with her friends. With a sudden panic, he realized that she was headed in his direction.

“Hello Ryan,” she waved at him as she passed.

“Er…,” Ryan suddenly seemed to lose his ability to speak.

“Hey Emily,” Caleb said in a friendly voice as she passed.

The air suddenly returned to Ryan's lungs as he exhaled slightly.

“That is so pathetic that the Quidditch Captain goes barmy around her,” Caleb rolled his eyes. Ryan looked up at his father who quickly averted his eyes but he still caught the look of amusement on his face.

Caleb continued to humiliate Ryan further. “She's liked you for forever and you, you can't even form coherent sentences around her. Please, this is your last year, put me out of my misery and just ask her out. You know she's just dying for you to do that.”

“Just drop it, Caleb,” Ryan muttered. His father opened his mouth to say something but a shout in the crowd caught their attention.

“Oh Remus!” his mother cried out as the family friend, Remus Lupin, made his way through the crowd.

“Hello Professor Lupin,” the Potter children chorused.

“What brings you here?” his father asked, shaking his DADA teacher's hand.

“Just…wanted to see you guys off,” Lupin said vaguely before turning to Ryan. “So, Ryan, you're last year. Are you ready?” he asked.

“I think I'm going to miss the old castle,” he replied.

Lupin smiled. “Oh, I wanted to give this to you before I forget, I wanted to give you this.” He handed him a tattered envelope with a little note attached to it that read: Hand this letter to me as soon as you reach the castle, NO MATTER HOW STRANGE YOUR SITUATION IS!

“Um,” Ryan said as he read the odd note.

“Don't worry, you'll know,” he said with a wink. “I'll see you guys at the castle,” he said to the eldest children.

The train whistle blew signaling that the student's should start to board. His parents began their good-bye's as Ryan reached in his pocket to put the letter away only to find that his trunk was missing.

“What is it?” his father asked.

“My trunk, I think I dropped it outside of the barrier,” Ryan said as he sprinted past his parents.

He crossed the barrier undetected by the nearby muggles and right away spotted his trunk next to a muggle magazine stand. He sprinted for it, picked it up and turned around only to collide with someone. Little golden globes went flying in the air, landing with tiny metallic plunks as they hit the ground.

“I'm sorry,” Ryan said as he helped the woman he had collided with to her feet.

“It's quite alright,” she said, dusting herself off and picking up an empty box.

“Here, let me help you,” he said, reaching down to pick up one of the globes.

“NO!!” the woman cried out. “Don't touch--.”

There was an odd sensation that shot through Ryan as he touched the cool crystal globe with golden metal trim. It felt as if he were being squeezed, as if the air was being rung out of his lungs. Then he felt as if he were suddenly pushed forward violently at incredible force before coming to a complete stop.

Ryan blinked and looked around him. The woman had disappeared from his sight. What the hell just happened? The station had muggles going about their business as if they had no notice that a woman had disappeared before his eyes. Wait a second. Dad. He could report this to his dad, he would know what to do. Ryan stuffed the globe in his pocket and clutched his trunk to him as he crossed the barrier back onto Platform Nine and 3/4.

The whistle shrieked loudly as parents said their goodbye's to their children. He ran to the spot where his parents were but they were nowhere to be found.

“Mom? Dad?” he called out, darting through the crowd to find them. He collided with someone in his haste.

“Oy! Watch where you're going!”

Ryan stared wide-eyed at a much younger looking Uncle Ron Weasley. But it couldn't be him.

“Uh, where's Caleb?” Ryan stammered out.

“Huh?” Ron looked at him in confusion before walking away.

“Ron, don't be rude.” Aunt Ginny, also looking very young, came up behind her brother.

Ryan scrambled away from them, his mind reeling. This can't be happening. This can't be happening. A stray Daily Prophet fluttered on the ground, carried by the slight breeze and he picked it up, staring at the date.

September 1, 1997

“Oh, this can't be happening. This can't be happening,” Ryan repeated over and over again.

“Hey Potter,” a voice called out and he spun around to see a blond haired boy about his age stride toward him, accompanied by two much larger and wider guys. “Didn't think I'd see your face here.”

Ryan was about to open his mouth to respond but a voice called out from behind him.

“I could say the same about you.” Ryan's eyes widened and he spun around to see his father behind him. Oh. My. God.

“It's fortunate that my father still has friends in high places,” Draco said smugly. “What about you? Oh, that's right, you don't have a father, do you?”

“I wouldn't exactly call Death Eater's high society,” Harry replied. Ryan couldn't believe it. He couldn't take his eyes off of him even as his father glanced over at him, giving him an irritated look.

“What the hell are you doing here, Malfoy?” Ron strode up to his father.

“Harry, let's just get going,” came the most familiar and comforting voice. Ryan's heart pounded loudly in his chest when he saw his mother, young and still beautiful, walk up to his father. This was all too much for him to take and he ducked behind a pillar, willing his sickness to pass and his heart to slow down.

The train whistle shrieked loudly, catching his attention and Ryan peeked out from behind the pillar to see that his father and mother were no longer standing nearby. He wanted to see his parents, follow them and he hustled toward them as they walked toward the train.

“I'm going to get the little mudblood once and for all,” he heard the blond boy say nearby him and Ryan watched as he drew his wand.

“Mum,” Ryan whispered and ran toward her. “Watch out!” he shouted as he jumped in front of her in time for Draco's hex to land square on his chest. Ryan slammed onto the ground hard, his head hitting the concrete. He blinked and looked up at his mother's concerned face hovering over him before all went blank.

-->

A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews guys! I hope you enjoy this story and yes, I got inspiration for this story from the movie Back to the Future. I love that movie. And for the small percentage of you who haven't seen it, you must!

The Train Ride

Harry sat in the train compartment doing his best not to act like a pouty nine year-old but the fact of the matter was, Hermione giving this…stranger a little TLC was more than discomforting to him. Ron was sitting across from him, munching on food and treats from the trolley not even bothered by this new guest.

“Do you think he's going to be okay?” Ginny asked.

“I dunno, I think so,” Hermione replied.

Harry chanced another glance in their direction, seeing Hermione cradle this guy's head in her lap while she put ice on the back of his head.

“Do you know his name?” Ginny asked.

“No, I've never seen him before,” Hermione shook her head. “Maybe he's a transfer student.”

“It was so romantic the way he jumped in front of you like that,” Ginny said dreamily.

Harry scoffed softly. He would've gladly jumped in front of Hermione. In fact, he was just about to when this git got in the way. Who the hell did he think he was anyway? Besides, he saved Hermione loads of times and he didn't get any treatment from her the way she was giving it to this guy.

Hermione heard his scoff and turned to look at him. “Don't be like that, Harry,” she said gently. “You're not the only one in this world with a `Saving People' thing.”

“I know that,” he muttered and Ginny rolled her eyes.

“Oh, look, he's coming to!” Ginny exclaimed.

Ryan's head hurt and he felt as if he was awakening from a very odd and terrifying dream where he went back in time and saw his parents as students.

“Hey there,” he heard the welcoming and comforting voice of his mother, “take it easy. You took a nasty hit to your head.” He could feel her hands gently touching his head the way she used to whenever he was hurt or sick.

“Mum?” he said aloud and Harry and Ron snickered. Hermione shot them nasty looks that sent Harry back to his brooding state. Ginny was looking at Ryan as if he were an injured puppy.

Ryan opened his eyes, blinking them to bring the fuzzy image before him into focus revealing his still young looking mother.

“Hullo,” she said with a smile.

Ryan's eyes widened and he sat up quickly, scrambling to the opposite side of the compartment and squishing himself into the corner. Uncle Ron, Aunt Ginny, his mother and father were all looking at him, all dressed in Hogwarts attire, all of them his age. This wasn't a nightmare, it was really happening to him.

“What a way to meet, huh?” Hermione said, trying to ease this jittery young man. “Um, my name is Hermione and this is Ginny.”

“Hi,” his aunt said kindly.

“That over there is Ron,” Hermione continued, “and that is Harry.” His father gave a curt nod of his head. “And you are?”

“Uh, R-Ryan,” he stammered out. This could not be happening to him. He felt like a trapped rabbit surrounded by wolves.

“Ryan,” Hermione repeated. “That's a nice name. Well, Ryan, that was a very brave thing you did, jumping in front of me to block that hex.” His father muttered something in the corner but he didn't catch it. “I just want to say thank you.”

“Er…you're welcome.” He needed to get out of this compartment, he needed to get off this train. “Excuse me,” he said, jumping to his feet and hastily stumbling out of the compartment. Part of him wanted to believe that this was a nightmare and that he could just get off this train if he willed it somehow. Like if you dreamt you were falling and you made yourself land on a cushion manifested from your own mind. But it wasn't, there was no way off this train and he knew nobody on it except for well, his family but they hadn't met him…yet. Oh this was so messed up.

He could see the lavatories up ahead and he ran to them, finding an unoccupied one and scrambled inside. He locked the door and laid his forehead against it. He felt so lost and he felt more than a little silly at the fact that the two people he wanted most to see, the two people he always came to with a problem were his parents. But he couldn't go to them now, they had no idea who he was and he had a feeling that if he explained to them who he was, it may not go down as he had envisioned. Ryan just wanted his family back, his family from his time.

He sank to the floor thinking this was indeed the longest train ride on the Hogwarts Express that he had taken. Longer than the first one he had ever taken but even then his father had said that it would be okay, that he would make friends on the train. His father was right, of course.

Hugging his robe closer around him, a crinkling sound caught his attention and he reached into his robes to pull out an envelope. That's right! Professor Lupin had told him to deliver this envelope to him as soon as he reached school, no matter how strange his situation was. Well, in his book, this definitely qualified as strange. But it gave him an odd sense of comfort. He had a plan to get through the next few hours: just stay in here for the rest of the train ride, talk to no one and get to Professor Lupin as soon as the carriage dropped him off at the castle steps.

~*~

The task was easier said than done. Ryan easily lost himself in the crowd of students that poured into the castle, all of them chattering and excited for the start of a new year. However, since the professor's typically ate at the head of the Great Hall at a long table, getting Professor Lupin before that, proved to be challenging.

He darted out of the crowd and headed to the DADA classroom but it was empty, the professor had already left for the dining hall. When he sprinted back to the Great Hall, everyone was already seated and chatting excitedly for the start of the sorting. He saw Professor Lupin already seated at the table talking with Professor Flitwick. He could just make his way up there and hand him the letter but as soon as the thought formed in his mind, the doors opened and Professor Sinistra was leading the group of First Years down the aisle. Ryan quickly sat down at the end of the Gryffindor table.

“Is that him?” Lavender leaned forward and whispered to Hermione and Ginny.

“Hermione's hero,” Ginny beamed and Harry rolled his eyes. Now that Parvati and Lavender got wind of this story, he wouldn't be hearing the end of it any time soon.

“Oh, he's so cute!” Parvati whispered.

“I know!” Hermione agreed and Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat. She hadn't acted this silly, even with Krum.

“Why don't we go and invite him to sit with us?” Lavender suggested. “I mean, look at the poor thing sitting all by himself.”

“We should, I think he's a transfer student and he probably doesn't know anyone,” Hermione looked down at him. “Harry, you should go and get him after the Sorting.”

“W-what?” Harry looked at her incredulously.

“I think it would be a good gesture since you're the one who's been awful to him since we got on the train,” she said.

“What are you talking about? I didn't say a word to him!” Harry retorted.

“Exactly,” Hermione said. “I practically had to drag you down the train to help me look for him.”

“So you see? I was nice, I helped look,” Harry nodded. Okay, really, he didn't look too hard, he was just strolling up and down the train trying to pass the time until Hermione released him from the task.

“I just think it would mean more if you invited him to sit with us,” Hermione looked at him pleadingly. Oh, why did she have to look at him like that?

“Yeah, okay,” he heard himself mumbling.

So, after the little sprogs had been sorted and seated, Harry reluctantly left his place at the table when the delectable food for the feast had appeared. And he was sooooo looking forward to that first bite. But he might as well get this over with quickly so he could return to his seat before Ron ate everything in sight.

Ryan was seated at the end of the table, not even paying attention to the food in front of him, he was watching the front of the Great Hall where the teachers were seated.

“Ryan right?” he said.

Ryan jumped in his seat. “Da—er, dude! You startled me.”

Harry looked at the jumpy young man. Warning bells rang in the back of his head. There was something very familiar about this bloke although he couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was.

“Yeah,” Harry said slowly. “You seem a little jumpy.”

“Do I?” Ryan asked, running a hand through his brown hair, causing it to stick up at weird angles.

“Listen, do you want to come and sit with us?”

Ryan looked down the table where the other seventh years were sitting, the girls eagerly looking at him.

“Um, no,” he said slowly, “but thank you.”

For some reason, an odd sense of relief overcame Harry when Ryan said this. He wasn't going to argue with the guy. “Okay,” Harry said and walked away.

“What happened?” Hermione asked him as he sat down.

“He said no,” Harry answered plainly, grabbing some ham and mashed potatoes that Ron hadn't gotten to yet. He looked up and saw the frown on Hermione's face and he felt horrible. He had to say something to ease her upset. “I think he's just really, really shy. I mean, he practically jumped out of his seat when I spoke to him.”

“Oh that is sooo cute,” Parvati said.

“Well, I honestly can't let him sit by himself after what he did for me. That would be just rude,” Hermione said, getting up from the table and grabbing her plate and goblet.

“Hermione!” Harry protested as she walked away. The guy really seemed like he didn't want to sit with them.

“Hello. Mind if I sit here?”

Ryan looked up wide-eyed at his mother, instinctively scooting over to make room for her as she sat down.

“I couldn't let you sit here by yourself in good conscience,” she said. “Especially after what you did for me on the platform.”

“It really wasn't anything,” Ryan spluttered out. Hermione looked at him. There was something about him that attracted her to him.

“Of course it is,” she smiled. “You really didn't know me but yet, you still jumped in front of me to take that hex. That's very admirable in my book.”

“Admirable,” Ryan repeated nervously. He personally would have chosen the word idiotic.

“So Ryan,” Hermione scooted closer to him and Ryan scooted away. “I don't know anything about you. Like, where did you transfer from?”

“Er,” he floundered around for another wizarding school and said the first thing that came to his mind. “Durmstrang.”

“Durmstrang?” Hermione's eyes widened. “I know someone from that school.”

“Yeah, Viktor Krum,” Ryan answered. His father teased his mother mercilessly whenever the Bulgarian team came to play.

“How did you know?” Hermione chirped. “I suppose everyone knows about that,” she sighed. Ryan vowed to keep his trap shut.

“And your parents?” she asked. “What do they do?”

Oh the irony. “My dad's an Auror and my mum works for the Ministry in the Magical Rules and Regulations department.”

“My parent's are muggle dentists,” Hermione said. Ryan smiled his cavity-free smile. His grandparents never failed to send him and his brothers and sisters home with toothbrushes after every visit.

Their conversation mercifully ended when the Headmistress McGonagall stood to address the class. They would be dismissed soon and that would be his chance to speak with Professor Lupin.

“Do you want me to show you the way to the Gryffindor common room?” Hermione offered as they stood to go to their dorms.

“Er, no,” Ryan said, keeping an eye on Professor Lupin who was getting up to leave. “I know the way,” he said dismissively and made his way to the front of the Great Hall.

Hermione returned to join Harry and Ron but was immediately ambushed by Ginny, Lavender and Parvati.

“Well, what did he say?”

“What's he like?”

Hermione was beaming. “He was so nice and cute. He's an absolute dream!”

“Wow, Hermione,” Ginny smiled. “I think you've got it bad!”

They made their way to the common room and Harry reached out and grabbed Ginny, distancing the two of them from the others.

“What do you mean Hermione has it bad?” he asked her in a low voice. “Is she hexed or something?”

Ginny laughed. “Oh, Harry. You guys can be completely clueless sometimes. She's not hexed. She's just crushing on Ryan.”

“What?!” he yelped.

Ginny rolled her eyes. “I don't know if you know, Harry, but Hermione is indeed a girl and that she may fancy someone of the opposite sex.”

“I know she's a girl!” Harry said irritably. “I just can't believe she'd like someone like…Ryan.”

“Why not? He's kinda cute and he has that `saving people' complex that you have. Oooh and mysterious. He's got the aura of….mystery about him.”

“If you ask me, he's a bit of squirrelly fellow to me,” Harry grumbled.

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Oh Harry, you are being just as bad as Ron was with Viktor.”

“I am not. There's a big difference there.”

“Whatever,” Ginny replied and stopped him. “I'm warning you Harry. Hermione deserves a little bit of happiness and I don't want you or Ron to ruin this for her.” She pointed a finger in his face as she said this.

*

“Professor Lupin!” Ryan called out as he reached the table. Lupin turned around and looked at the student. He had never seen him before but there was something about him that was oddly familiar.

“Yes?” he asked kindly.

“Professor, I was told to give this to you as soon as possible,” Ryan said, handing him the envelope. Lupin took it and read its contents, his brow wrinkling in disbelief as he kept reading. At last, he finished it.

“Who gave you this letter?” he demanded.

Ryan stared at him. “Well, you did, Professor.”

A clock chimed the hour in the background, catching Lupin's attention. Ryan opened his mouth to speak but Lupin held up his hand in a gesture of silence as his attention was brought to the Hufflepuff table as the students filed out of the Great Hall. There was suddenly a loud explosion and feathers went spewing in the air as one of the students turned into a bird, the familiar result of a WWW canary cream. Lupin then looked down the table at Professor Flitwick who was scrambling over the table to get to a student only to be thwarted by Hagrid who tripped and fell on the table, see-sawing it and sending Flitwick in the air.

“Come with me,” Lupin said, yanking Ryan from staring at the commotion before him.

“I don't know what kind of joke you are playing or who set you up to this,” Lupin said as he closed the door of his office behind Ryan, “but it isn't funny at all. A faulty time turner?”

“Is that what I touched?” Ryan asked. Lupin narrowed his eyes at the young man. “Look, I'm not lying! Why would I lie about this? Do you think I'm enjoying this? Do you think I want to be here? No! I want to go home! I want to see my family, my parents!” He slumped down into a chair and sighed.

Lupin looked at the crestfallen young man. “What are your parent's names?” he asked.

Ryan looked up at him. “Harry Potter and Hermione Granger.”

Lupin looked at him for a long time. Yes, he could see it now. Why the boy looked so familiar to him. He had the familiar green eyes of Lily, of Harry. In fact, he looked a lot like Harry except for the glasses and brown hair. He looked up at the ceiling, “Well, Sirius, I guess I owe you a few galleons, huh? Well, young man, let's see this time turner of yours.” Ryan handed him the tiny object, no bigger than a snitch, over. “Ah, yes. I've never seen this model before. Most definitely new.”

“Well, can't we get another one and send me back?” he asked.

Lupin shook his head. “Nearly all of them were destroyed during an…incident a couple of years ago in the Department of Mysteries. When it was found how easily one could slip in and out of that department, it was unanimous that all of them be destroyed.” Ryan's small flame of hope was just snuffed out. He was stuck here. “Our only hope is to find someway to activate this one again,” Lupin said, holding the small object. “In the meantime, however, I think it would be best if you kept a low profile at this school. And above all, avoid your parents.”

Avoid his parents. Well, it was a little late for that.

“You already ran into them, didn't you?” Lupin said and Ryan nodded. “Well, avoid them from here on out. You don't want to do anything that will compromise your or their futures.”

“Right, okay,” he said.

“Just out of curiosity, Ryan, how did Harry and Hermione get together?” Lupin asked the young man who suddenly became very pale.

“Oh no,” Ryan groaned and ran his hand through his hair. A gesture that made Lupin smirk because Harry and James had done the exact same thing. “My parents! They realized they had feelings for each other when my mum was hit with a hex on the Platform. A hex that I blocked!”

“What?! Ryan do you realize what you have done?” Lupin scolded. “If I send you back now, you may not exist!”

Not exist! How can he not exist?! He had to exist. He liked existing.

“Oh Merlin,” he groaned, “What do I do now?”

Lupin looked at him sympathetically. “I suppose we have to find some way to get your parents together before I send you back.”

“Well, that shouldn't be too hard,” Ryan said thoughtfully. “I mean it's my mum and dad. They love each other, they're crazy about each other.”

Lupin looked at him. “I hope you're right, Ryan.”

“I guess this blows the whole `stay away from your parents' advice out of the water, huh?”

“For now but Ryan, listen to me very carefully. You have to be cautious about what you do or say to them. You're future is already compromised, you don't need to say or do anything that would endanger it further,” Lupin said.

“Right,” Ryan said quietly. “Well, I guess I should head up to bed so I can face another dismal day in the past.” Lupin let out a soft laugh.

“Have faith, Ryan. We'll get your parents together and you back home safely.”

*

Lost in his thoughts, Ryan wandered the halls of Hogwarts until he arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady. Oh crap, he didn't know the password. This day was turning out great.

“It's gillyweed,” said a voice behind him.

Ryan turned to find a familiar looking guy standing in front of him. Where had he seen him before?

“The password, it's gillyweed,” the young man said.

“Right you are, dearie,” said the Fat Lady, swinging the door open. The common room was deserted, everyone had gone to bed. The young man turned to him and offered his hand for a shake. “My name's Neville Longbottom, and you are?”

“Ryan,” he answered softly, staring at him. Now he remembered where he knew him from. Neville Longbottom had been a good friend to his parents and his father's partner in the Auror division up until a few years ago when they got a tip of dark wizard activity at the Fisherman's Wharf. Neville hadn't waited for his father and went alone.

He was killed.

Aunt Ginny was beyond grief, he left behind her and their two young children. His parents took his death hard, his father the hardest. It devastated him and nearly ripped apart their family. His parent's had gone to counseling to help his father deal with his grief and he eventually got better and slowly stopped blaming himself. But there were still times that his father locked himself away in a dark place inside him that only his mother could bring him out of.

“Oh right,” Neville smiled, “you're the new guy. The one that jumped in front of Hermione, saving her from that hex that Malfoy sent. Good on you. I wish I was brave like you.”

“I'm sure you're much braver than you give yourself credit for,” Ryan said softly, remembering how great an Auror he was. Mr. Longbottom had always been nice to him. He would always have a piece of candy to offer him and his siblings whenever his father brought them to the office.

It was this painful memory that filled his thoughts as he readied himself for bed. That young man who was standing across the room from him thinking he had his whole life in front of him…

“Good night Ryan,” Neville said as he began to close the hangings around his bed. “Hope you like it here at Hogwarts.”

“Yeah,” Ryan answered softly. “Good night.”

Ryan climbed into bed and closed the hangings around him. It had truly been a long day and he wasn't at all looking forward to tomorrow. He had no idea how he would get his parents together, shouldn't they just naturally get together without him having to lift a finger? He flopped himself backward on the bed only to have his head collide with a stony pillow.

“Ow!”

Snickers could be heard that Ryan found suspiciously sounding like his father and his Uncle Ron. Ryan took his wand and transfigured his pillow back to a normal soft state.

“Very funny dad,” he whispered irritably.

-->

His Father's Son

He had never meant to let go of his mum's hand but he had to see the new racing broom that they had displayed in the window. There was already a small crowd around it of his peers and he didn't want to be the only eight year-old who hadn't seen this much touted about broom. So he took his opportunity when his mother was momentarily distracted by his younger sister's tantrum and darted away from his mother. He ducked through the pedestrian traffic of Diagon Alley to join the throng at the window of the Quidditch supply store.

The broom was awesome in all its wooden glory. Highly polished and shiny, each little straw impeccably placed, the gold trim gleamed, its lines and planes smoothed for maximum aerodynamics. Oh, it was a dream to behold.

But when he turned around to return to his mother, he suddenly became lost and disoriented in the crowd. Everyone was too tall, all the grown ups looked mean and unfamiliar. He called out to his mum and dad but he felt as if he small voice was lost and drowned in the sea of people around him. An old witch came up to him at one point to ask if he was lost but she looked so unfamiliar and frightening that he turned and ran away. This only made him more disoriented and lost, he didn't know where he was. None of these shops looked familiar, they were dark and scary and some of them had frightening creatures and objects in them that he knew would give him nightmares for days.

“Are you lost dearie?”

Ryan turned to see a scary looking hag with rotting yellow teeth and warts all over her face. He cried out in terror and ran away from her, hearing her cackling behind him. Everywhere he turned were frightening looking people, cloaked figures, some peered at him curiously but every time one of them came close, he would run in the opposite direction. He was lost, scared and alone so he hid in a pile of discarded crates where no one would see him and everyone would leave him alone. He just wanted to be with his mum and dad and brothers and sisters. He would never see them again, he knew it. He would be forever lost.

But just as he began to come to terms with his fate as an orphan, a ray of hope pierced his dark thoughts when there was a commotion in the alley. Did he hear his name being called? There was a cry of terror and outbursts of anger coming from down the street. People were hissing and scurrying away from something, deserting the streets as they scampered into nearby shops.

“Ryan? Ryan?”

Hope exploded in his chest and he shot out from his hiding place when he heard his father calling for him.

“DAD!!” he cried out and ran toward the familiar figure of his father.

“Ryan!” his dad exclaimed as he knelt to embrace him. Ryan wrapped his arms around his father, instantly feeling protected and safe. Nothing could harm him when his father was around.

His father led them out of this scary place and back into the sunny streets of Diagon Alley where his mother and siblings were waiting for him. His mother sobbed and held him close. He felt comfort in her embrace, there was nothing more soothing in the world than his mother's arms. His little sister had been crying and would later tell him that she thought she would never see him again.

Ryan wiped at his eyes as he let go of his mother and turned back to his father who was kneeling down to face him face-to-face. “Never, ever leave our sides like that again. Do you understand me?” he said in a gentle but stern voice.

“I-I only wanted to see the broom,” Ryan hiccupped.

“I understand that,” his father replied. “And I was going to take you inside to see it but you just needed to be patient. It wasn't going to just disappear like you did.”

Ryan frowned. “I'm sorry,” he said softly. “I didn't mean to get lost like that. I thought I'd never see you and mum again.”

His dad put a gentle hand on his head then let if fall to his shoulder where it rested. “No matter how lost you are,” his father said, looking right at him, “I would always find you.”

“Ryan? Ryan, wake up.”

Ryan opened his eyes to see Neville's face hovering above him. He groaned slightly as he shut his eyes. Crap, he was still stuck in this nightmare. He reluctantly sat up.

“What time is it?” he asked.

“Seven,” Neville replied. “You don't want to miss breakfast do you? You're the last to get up, didn't you set your alarm charm?”

Ryan looked over at his clock and saw that it was displaying. “Yeah, you're going to miss breakfast. Sorry.”

He distinctly remembered placing the charm on it the night before. A muffled snicker brought his attention to his uncle Ron who was standing with his father by the door of the dormitory. Of course one of them would mess with the charm, probably his father if the mischievous gleam on his face was any indication.

“Very funny, Harry,” Ryan grumbled as he flung the covers off of him.

Harry shrugged. “Just call it a bit of first day hazing. Welcome to Hogwarts,” he said and left the room.

As if it couldn't get any more awkward and uncomfortable, when Ryan finished getting ready, Neville was waiting for him.

“I didn't want you to go down alone. This castle is pretty big and you can get lost in it,” Neville said as they walked down the corridors. It was just too surreal and a little depressing that Ryan's only friendly roommate was a guy who was going to be dead in less than ten years. “Harry and Ron are alright,” Neville continued. “They're actually pretty nice, they can be pranksters sometimes. Ron's brothers own Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, have you heard of it?”

Had he heard of it? Most of his allowance when he was younger was spent in that store. “Yeah, I mean everyone's heard of it,” he replied.

“So you see where Ron gets it?” Neville explained.

“Yeah, and Harry's a Marauder's son, right?” Ryan wished he could take it back.

Neville's eyes narrowed. “What did you say?”

“Nothing. Listen, I'm just trying my best to stay out of his sight, out of his mind.”

“Well, best avoid Hermione then. That just seems to ruffle Harry's feather's a bit.”

“Really?” Ryan asked. “Are they…together or something?” Ryan silently prayed that some miracle occurred last night and that his parents indeed had somehow gotten together on their own.

“Harry and Hermione?” Neville asked. “No, they're just friends. But, Hermione seems to have taken a liking to you, you lucky dog.” Ugh, lucky, alright.

They entered the Great Hall and sat down across from Harry and Ron who seemed to be absorbed in their own conversation. All the better, Ryan thought, he just wanted to get through this meal and see Professor Lupin as soon as he could.

“Hello Ryan,” said a familiar voice and before he could protest, his mother plopped down next to him.

“Er, morning,” he replied as he inched away from her. She scooted over and closed the gap again.

“Did you sleep well your first night here?” she asked brightly.

“Er…”

“A little too well,” Neville jumped in. “He nearly overslept.”

“Don't you know you're supposed to charm your clock?” Hermione lectured. It was such a familiar thing his mother did to him that he reacted instinctively.

“I did but…” Crap. His eyes had flickered over to Harry and Ron. He didn't mean to but it felt as if his mother had been lecturing him, scolding him, not Hermione or whomever. This was sooo confusing.

Hermione saw his eyes glance briefly at Harry and Ron and she turned to look at them for an explanation. The two boys suddenly found their breakfasts very interesting. “Did you do something to him?” she asked them.

“What? No!” they both protested. His dad quickly glanced at him, giving him a look that made him want to disappear under the table.

“What is wrong with you two?” Hermione scolded. “Why would you do that to the new guy, he's probably feeling already so scared and alone.” She reached out and placed a hand on his. His dad's eyes fell on the contact and Ryan quickly removed his hand and scooted away from his mum. He just wanted to disappear. “Harry, I expected more of you,” Hermione continued to lecture. “I was hoping you would take him under your wing and show him around. After all, he did save my life.” Saved her life? Wasn't she exaggerating a bit?

“Aren't you exaggerating a bit?” Harry shot back. “I think the only thing he saved you from was a Jelly Legs curse.”

“Whatever, Harry,” Hermione waved him off. “Just because someone else has a Hero complex around here doesn't give you the right to be vile to him.”

“A Hero what?” his father exclaimed.

“What's that on your face?” Ron suddenly spoke up.

Hermione turned to him. “What are you talking about?” she asked.

“Your face,” Ron pointed to her. “It's all…glittery.”

“It's called make-up, you dolt,” Ginny said. She was sitting next to Hermione.

“Make-up?” Harry spat out. “You're wearing make-up?” He looked at Ryan. Oh God, this wasn't his fault too, was it? “Since when did you wear make-up?”

“Since now,” Hermione replied.

“I think she looks pretty,” Ginny beamed. “Don't you think so Ryan?”

Oh, God. All eyes turned to him. He looked between his mother's hopeful face and his father's look of wrath. He just wanted to get out of here.

“Um…I…er…,” Ryan floundered for something to say. What did his mum always tell him? You couldn't apparate out of Hogwarts. Bummer, he could really use that talent right about now. He looked around him and saw that everyone was staring at him, waiting for his answer.

“Mr. Harrison.”

He didn't know what to say. It felt as if time was ticking away.

“Mr. Harrison.”

What the hell was he supposed to say? His mother was looking at him with that hopeful look like when she cooked a new meal and presented it to the table in hopes that she wouldn't have to take everyone to St. Mungo's later on. His father was looking at him like he wanted to squash him like a bug. It was a very uncomfortable feeling.

“Mr. Harrison,” he was nudged and he looked up to see Professor Lupin peering down at him. “Mr. Harrison, Ryan, are you okay?” he asked pointedly. Harrison…oh, Harry's son. Hmm, clever.

“Uh, yeah—yes, sorry. Yes, sir?” he finally spit out. Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you for the distraction.

“Your class schedule,” Lupin said, handing him his card. He moved on to hand his mother and father their class schedules then moved on to give the other Gryffindors their schedules. Ryan looked down at his.

“Great,” he muttered. “I won't be able to talk to Professor Lupin until later this evening.”

“Why do you want to talk to him?” Neville asked.

Ryan stuffed the schedule into his bookbag. “Nothing. Nevermind,” he said and grabbed a muffin before leaving the war zone that was the table.

Hermione watched him leave. She sighed. “There's just something about him that's so…”

“…weird?” Ron offered.

“…loserish?” Harry added.

“Dreamy,” Ginny spoke up.

“No, intriguing,” Hermione wrinkled her brow in thought. “I wonder what he wants to speak to Professor Lupin about. Did he say anything to you?” she asked Neville.

He shrugged. “I dunno. He just transferred. Maybe he needs extra help in DADA.”

Harry put down his fork and looked up at Hermione. “No, Hermione, no,” he said at the pleading look on her face.

“Oh, Harry, why not?” she asked. “Everyone knows you're the best one at DADA in our class. You've already gotten off to a bad start with him, maybe this will make amends with him.”

“Maybe I don't want to make amends,” he replied.

Hermione shook her head in disgust. “I'd never thought I'd see the day when Harry Potter would turn his back on a fellow Gryffindor who needed help.” She grabbed a couple pieces of toast and left the table.

Harry threw down in fork in frustration and ran a hand through his hair. What the hell was wrong with him? Hermione was right, he was acting like a complete prick and he had no idea why. This Ryan guy had really rubbed him the wrong way for only the simple reason that he jumped in front of one of his best friends and took a curse in the chest for her. He should be grateful to him but for some reason, it just ate at him.

“Hermione's right, Harry,” Neville spoke up. “You have been kinda mean to Ryan.”

“Harry's not being mean,” Ron defended. “He's just joking around with him. It's not Harry's fault if the guy has no sense of humor.”

“No, Harry's being a jerk,” Ginny said then turned to him. “If you want to redeem yourself in Hermione's eyes. Help Ryan.”

~*~

“Ryan! Hey Ryan wait up!”

He winced inwardly when he heard his mother's voice. But he obediently stopped and turned around to face her.

“Hey…Hermione,” he said.

“So, do we have any classes together?” she asked, making conversation as they continued on their way.

“Um, I don't know,” he said quickly. “Listen, I was just going to go to the library and--.”

“Ooh the library! I'll go with you!” she smiled. Of course she would, he should've picked a better excuse, this was his mother he was talking to after all. There were many childhood memories of his mother dragging him and his siblings to the library to check out books to read. It was only when he was older and could keep his magical talents a secret that she then took him to a muggle library where he finally discovered the wonders of the Curious George books that his muggle friends had been talking about in Primary school.

“Well, well, well. Isn't this sweet,” came a drawling voice and the two of them turned to see Draco Malfoy approaching them with his two friends. “Hogwart's newest hero and the mudblood.” Ryan seethed at the name his mother was called.

“Don't call her that,” he said in a dangerously low voice.

“Just ignore him Ryan,” Hermione tugged on his arm. “He never has anything useful to say.” A crowd of students began to form around them.

“Don't get your hopes up…Ryan,” Malfoy drawled. “She tends to latch on to famous wizards. Once your notoriety dies down, the mudblood will have moved onto someone else.”

Ryan threw down his book bag. “I thought I told you not to call her that.”

Draco handed his book bag to the person nearest to him. “Oh, is the hero spoiling for a fight?”

“Ryan, don't,” he heard his mother plead but he wasn't going to let this pompous ass get away with calling his mother names like that.

Ryan and Draco shrugged off their cloaks and Ryan only turned for a second to hand his mother his cloak when her eyes widened.

“Look out!” she shouted and he turned and ducked just in time to have whatever curse Malfoy send his way, graze the top of his head. He could smell the scent of burnt hair. He blocked the next hex and quickly replied with a cutting charm, cleverly placed around Malfoy's waist that resulted in the Slytherin's pants falling to his ankles.

Malfoy gasped and bent down to pull up his pants giving time for Ryan to disarm him. “Get him!” Draco instructed the two idiots at his side but Ryan hit them both with a Conjunctivitis curse and they ran around blindly, tripping over Malfoy who was still struggling to get his pants up. The laughter from the crowd drew even more people to the spectacle, among them his father and Ron who stared at the scene before them.

“You're going to pay for this, Ryan,” Malfoy threatened as he scrambled away from the group of people that were laughing at him. Ryan couldn't help but smile as the three Slytherins hobbled away.

“Oh Ryan, that was brilliant!” Hermione beamed and threw her arms around him.

“Thanks mum,” he wanted to say as he grinned at having successfully defended her. His father would be proud. He looked up at him across the crowd.

Then again, maybe not.

Harry was looking at him with an expression on his face that startled Ryan. His father looked…hurt, like his heart was literally being ripped from his chest. But the look was quickly gone and replaced with steely resolve as he met Ryan's eyes. Ryan quickly pulled away from his mother but Harry had already disappeared from the crowd.

-->

A/N: Hey there! I know, soooo loooong between updates. I've neglected this fic badly but I am going to finish this one up so I can post a new story. Read and enjoy!

How To Get Your Ass Kicked By Harry Potter

Ryan sat facing backwards in the chair, his chin rested on the hands that rested on the back of it. Professor Lupin was at his desk looking at the time turner that Ryan had given him.

“Suppose you knew someone's future and you had a chance to save them, would you do it?” Ryan asked.

Lupin put down the time turner and looked at him. “I don't know. Messing with time and fate is a dangerous and finicky thing as you well know. You have no idea what the consequences of your actions could be.”

Ryan sighed. “Yeah, I suppose so.”

Lupin frowned, feeling sorry for the teen. “I'm sorry,” he said to him.

Ryan shrugged and changed the topic. “So, any luck?” he asked, gesturing to the object in Lupin's hand that caused all this trouble.

“No but we'll find something soon. How are Harry and Hermione doing?”

Ryan dropped his forehead on his hands. “Ugh, don't ask.”

“That good, huh?”

“My mom thinks I'm the greatest thing since sliced bread and I think my father is seriously plotting my own demise.”

Lupin laughed. “He's just jealous.”

“It's not funny, Professor!” Ryan whined. “Do you have any idea what it's like when my father has you in his crosshairs? Oh I'm going to need so much therapy after this.” He cradled his head in his hands.

Lupin smiled wryly at him. “Remember Ryan, he's Harry Potter the awkward high-school teen, not Harry Potter Auror Extraordinaire.” Lupin frowned thoughtfully. “Maybe that's the problem. You're looking at your father as…well, your father, not as a peer. That's why he intimidates you.”

Ryan frowned in thought. “Maybe. I've never thought about it that way. You're right,” he smiled. “He's just Harry Potter.”

~*~

BEEP!! BEEP!! BEEP!!

Ryan groaned as his alarm went off, waking him from his slumber. With sleepy eyes closed he reached out to hit the snooze button then brought his hands to his face to rub his eyes.

“OW!!!”

Harry and Ron snickered.

A well placed sticking charm on his alarm had given Ryan a rude awakening when his hand stuck to it then hit his face when he tried to rub his eyes. He grumbled grumpily as he fished for his wand to remove the charm.

“Very funny,” he muttered to the two of them.

“Yes, it was, wasn't it?” Harry grinned then the two of them left the room for breakfast. Neville just sighed and shook his head.

If Ryan really thought about it, he wasn't the best person to try and set two people up together. He had issues of his own in the romance department. The girl he'd been crushing on forever, he'd never worked up the nerve to ask her out. At least he now knew where he got it from.

But something that Professor Lupin said last night stuck out in his mind. He had said that the reason why his father intimidated him so much was because he was looking at him as…well, his father. Maybe if he just had guy talk with him about Hermione maybe he can shed a little light on his dad's feelings toward his mum.

Filled with determination and a new sense of confidence, he made his way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Lucky for him, his mother hadn't arrived yet and he took a seat directly across from his dad.

“Hey Harry, Ron,” he said, addressing them as he would to his own classmates.

Harry and Ron exchanged looks. This was the first time he had willingly spoken to them.

“So, Harry,” Ryan said as he piled on some bacon onto his eggs. “What do you think of Hermione?”

Harry stopped midbite and stared at him. What do I think of Hermione? What do I think of Hermione? How about stay away from her you little twerp?

“Why?” Harry asked, instead. Ron cracked his knuckles.

“I was just curious,” Ryan shrugged, oblivious to the death gaze his father was giving him.

“Morning everyone!” Hermione chirped as she sat down next to Ryan.

“What have you done to your hair?!” Ron asked with a mouth full of eggs. Hermione's hair was glossy and straight.

“Oh this?” she said carelessly. “I just wanted to try something new.”

Harry swallowed. He knew how much trouble she went through to straighten her hair with Sleakeasy's. Not that she didn't look gorgeous. She always looked gorgeous to him. Oh Merlin, he shouldn't be going down this train of thought with his best friend. But she wasn't doing this for Ryan was she?

Ryan looked over at his dad and saw that he was giving him that I'm-Going-To-Squash-You-Like-A-Bug look again. But this time, he fought down his nervousness. This was just Harry Potter, student at Hogwarts and his mum really did look nice. What harm was there in complimenting her?

“You look very nice, Hermione,” he said.

Her smile could've lit up all of London. Harry was going to kill Ryan. He was dead. The guy was dead. Panic suddenly seized him. Ryan was asking about Hermione earlier, what if he was into her? And she clearly has an interest in him and therefore, it could be a real possibility that they could end up together at some point. This train of thought was distressing him so much that he couldn't eat. Why was it bothering him so much? Other guys had posed an interest in Hermione, including Ron and it didn't really bother him. Why was it any different now?

“Harry, where are you going?” Hermione asked when he got up from the table to leave.

“I've just realized I've still got some…homework to finish,” he said lamely.

“Okay but remember to get to class on time,” she replied. Ryan shook his head. Did his mum always nag like that?

Harry nodded and left the Hall. He decided to take a walk around the lake to clear his thoughts. Why was he being like this? It was just Hermione, his friend. Who really cared about this new guy? He didn't. Well, not really. That's it. He made a mental promise to give this guy a chance, he didn't seem too bad. Maybe he had been a little harsh on him. That's it, from now on he was going to be more nice to the new guy, maybe do what Hermione asked him to do and help him in DADA.

Which by the way, was the class he had next. He took his usual seat by Hermione and patiently waited until class began. They were working on silent incantations, more specifically learning to disarm someone without saying a word, just a flick of the wand.

Harry looked over at Hermione and saw that she was staring in Ryan's direction with an odd, hazy look on her face. He looked down at her parchment and saw that the note-taking he had thought she was doing was actually doodling. Ryan's name with little hearts around it. Harry frowned.

Ryan was a jerk.

“So who would like to come up to the front of the class and demonstrate this principle using Expelliarmus?” Professor Lupin had asked. Ryan's hand shot up in the air. He had already covered this topic in Advanced DADA and was at the top of his class. He was, after all, Harry Potter's son.

Lupin's eyebrows rose in amusement and surprise. “Mr. Harrison, please step to the front and I'll need another—“

“I'll go!” Harry said, jumping to his feet and making his way to the front of the class. There was a murmur of whispers and Lupin didn't seem too happy.

“Er…okay then,” he said uneasily. “Wands at the ready?”

Ryan and Harry counted down then with a swish of their wands…

Harry's wand flew out of his hand!

Ryan stared at him in disbelief. He had actually disarmed his own dad! Ha ha! There was a stunned silence in the class, even Lupin looked at him with a twinkle in his eye. But it was over quickly when Harry's wand flew soundlessly back into his hands and Ryan had just enough time to put up a protego just as Harry rallied back. The impact of the curse hitting the protego sent Ryan flying backward.

“Ack!” Ryan shouted. He had barely enough time to jump out of the way when Harry sent another curse his way.

“Harry!” he heard Lupin scold but he wasn't listening. Ryan ducked again as another hex flew over his head and exploded against the wall behind him. Ryan scrambled in the other direction and tripped over Neville's bookbag, tumbling to the ground just as another hex landed directly above him. It was a good thing he did, because that one was a very close call. However, to his and Harry's horror the hex ricocheted and hit Hermione squarely in the face.

“Hermione!” Harry yelled in horror.

“Mum!” Ryan whispered in disbelief.

The two of them scrambled to her side. Neville, who had been sitting very near Ryan, looked at the newcomer with narrowed eyes. Had he heard what he thought he heard?

Hermione was holding her nose and when Harry gently pried her hands from her face (“Let me see, Hermione.”), blood began to run down her face. Hermione clutched at her nose again.

“Why don't you take her to the hospital wing, Harry?” Lupid advised.

Hermione grabbed her bookbag. “Don' bodder,” she said angrily and stormed out of the classroom. Harry sighed sharply and grabbed his own bag and ran out after her.

Ryan slumped down in his chair, feeling guilty. All kids hated it when their parents fought.

~~~~~~~

“Ugh, you are such a pig!” Emma said, wrinkling her nose in disgust as Ryan went for another slice of pie. Grandma Molly had dropped it off today and they were currently finishing it up for dessert.

“So…do you have any plans for this weekend?” his mother asked of his dad.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you, I volunteered today to lead a team in Norway. We might have found Malfoy's new hiding spot.”

This caught Ryan's attention. “Are you going to catch him this time dad?” Draco Malfoy was a notorious leader of the remnant lot of Death Eaters.

“I'm going to try, son. I'm going to try.”

“So, you're leaving this weekend?” his mother said with a hint of sadness.

“Yeah, Kingsley asked for volunteers and…honey?”

His mother had gotten up from the table and put her dishes in the sink. She came back to the table and began to clear everyone else's dishes as well. He and Emma fell silent as they watched their father watching their mother.

“Hermione, were we supposed to visit your parents this weekend?” his dad asked.

His mum shook her head. “No.”

His dad thought some more. “Did Molly have something planned for the weekend?”

“No, Harry.” His mother forcefully turned on the faucet and filled the sink with soapy water. She was doing dishes the muggle way. That was a bad sign, that meant she was really angry about something.

He turned to look at his dad who looked as if he were desperately filing through his mental calendar. His mother finally put him out of his misery as she shut off the faucet.

“Our anniversary, Harry.”

His father closed his eyes. “Shite.”

“Don't swear in front of the kids,” he heard his mother sigh.

Ryan didn't care. He'd been to enough Quidditch games with his father and uncle Ron to extend his vocabulary with such colorful language.

His father got up from the chair and joined his mother in the kitchen. “Hermione, I'm sorry. I…,” his father sighed and leaned back against the counter next to his mum. “I'm sorry.”

His mother didn't answer for a while. She just kept doing the dishes. “It's okay, Harry,” she finally spoke. “I know the wizarding world needs you.”

“And my wife?” he asked, softly.

“I'll be fine.”

His dad reached out to hold his mother but she moved away from him and wiped her hands on a towel.

“I'm going to step out for a bit,” she declared. “I'll be back.”

His father finished up the dishes, let them watch the telly for a bit then got them ready for bed. Ryan couldn't sleep though. He had once heard from Caleb that Brian Finnegan's parents got a divorce and now his mother and father didn't live together anymore. He was plagued with this thought until he heard the pop of apparition and the front door open. He listened to the murmur of his parent's voices downstairs and let his imagination make up its own dialog.

Then there was silence.

Had someone left? Was mum still angry? He slipped out of bed and quietly opened the door. He couldn't hear them talking downstairs so he tiptoed his way down.

Ew. They were kissing. But he didn't mind it too much this time. He felt a sense of relief that peace had once again been restored to the Potter home.

“Harry, the kids,” his mother said quietly as his father led her into the library and closed the door behind them. Ryan crept back upstairs to leave them alone.

~~~~~~~

As soon as DADA was over, Ryan grabbed his bag and sprinted to the hospital wing, Ron and Neville were hot on his heels. When he opened the door he saw his mum sitting on one of the beds being fussed over by Madame Pomfrey. His dad was pacing back and forth, once in awhile running a hand through his hair. He could tell he was pissed off.

“You don't have to stay Harry,” his mum said irritably.

“I just want to make sure that you're okay,” his dad shot back.

“I think you've done quite enough, thank you very much.”

“Mr. Potter,” Madame Pomfrey cut in. “If you would please leave?”

Harry sighed. “Fine!”

He stormed toward the doors and saw Ryan standing there with Neville and Ron. Harry immediately marched up to him.

“What are you doing here?” he spat at him.

“I just wanted to see if she was okay,” Ryan replied coolly.

“Does she look okay?” he said with annoyance.

“Don't get mad at me. I'm not the one that hit her with the curse!” Oh, crap, maybe he shouldn't have said that. Harry stepped toward Ryan, who stepped back. Harry seemed to loom over him, an aura of anger cackled around him.

“Hey Potter.”

The two of them turned and Neville stepped back, startled and caught off guard by just how eerily similar Harry and Ryan looked. They could almost pass for twins, except for the brown hair and glasses.

But it was Draco Malfoy who spoke, accompanied by Crabbe and Goyle. “Heard you made your mudblood bleed,” he sneered. “I hope you didn't get any of her filthy blood on you, it taints anything it touches.”

Harry and Ryan seethed with anger but it was Harry that approached the Slytherin.

CRACK!!

Malfoy went sprawling to the floor, clutching his nose as he howled in pain. The hospital wing door opened and Madame Pomfrey poked her head out.

“MR. POTTER!!” she scolded. “Not again!”

“He hit me! He hit me!” Malfoy shrieked like a girl as he was carried into the wing by his two dunderheads.

“Mr. Potter, you will report to the headmistress' office immediately!” Madame Pomfrey scolded. Harry snarled at Ryan as he passed.

Ryan watched as his father and Ron walked away. He hoped his mum was, indeed, okay.

~~~~~~~~~~

After dinner, he made his way back over to Professor Lupin's office once again. He flung the door open and marched inside.

“Just Harry Potter, huh?” he said.

Lupin let out a soft snort of laughter. “Well, he is at the top of his DADA class.”

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Only Human

If there was one thing Neville Longbottom didn't take for granted, it was his friends. Awkward and shy, the first person who had talked to him was Hermione Granger. The first person to stand up for him was Harry Potter. So naturally, he was loyal to them to a fault. Therefore, when a mysterious person arrives at Hogwarts with a keen interest in his two friends, it had arisen a couple of flags in Neville's mind.

At first he thought it was just plain hero worship. New students always tended to gawk at Harry. But yesterday, Neville distinctly heard Ryan call Hermione “Mum”. And then when Draco called Harry by his last name the two of them had turned and he could've sworn that the two of them were twins.

He tried to crack open Ryan's trunk but there was a powerful locking charm on it. And if Neville suspected who Ryan really was, it was no surprise that he would be adept at that sort of thing. But he couldn't prove it and he thought just outright asking him would send Ryan into some sort of panic. No, he had to go about this in a different way.

~~~~~~~

Ryan was sitting at a table in the library when Hermione walked in and sat down across from him. “Hey how are you feeling?” he asked her in genuine concern.

She sighed as she gave him a pointed look. Yeah, he knew that one and he shut up immediately.

For two minutes.

“You know Harry didn't mean it.”

“I know that,” she replied. Of course she did. She was his wife after all. “I just don't know what's gotten into him lately.”

Ryan looked up at his mother then back down at his book. Okay, here goes. “He's just jealous,” he said as he turned a page.

Hermione stared at him. “Jealous? Harry?” she scoffed. “He's the number one student in DADA, why should he be so upset if you disarm him? Nobody's perfect.”

Ryan stared at his mother. That's not how she was supposed to take it. She was supposed to say “Why would Harry be Jealous?”

“Oh because he likes you in the more than friend way.”

“Really? Well I like him too!”

“You should tell him!”

“I definitely will! Thanks Ryan you're the best. And if we happen to have a son, we're going to name him after you.”

At least, that was how the conversation was supposed to go, in his mind. “No, Hermione, I meant—“

“Let's just drop it okay?” she sighed. “Besides, I'm surprised that you're defending him considering how horrid he's been to you.”

“He hasn't been so bad,” Ryan said quietly but dropped the subject all the same.

He walked with his mother back to the common room both of them strangely silent until she spoke up just outside of the portrait.

“You know, I'm totally embarrassed to say this but…you look really familiar to me,” she said.

“I just have that kind of familiar face,” he grinned.

When they entered the room, Harry immediately stood up from the couch where he was sitting and approached Hermione.

“Hermione, please, I just want to talk.”

Ryan took this opportunity to hastily leave them alone and head up to the dorm. He unlocked the trunk and threw his books inside then went back out to eavesdrop on his parents. Neville was hidden behind the curtains of his bed and waited until Ryan left the room to cross it and kneel before the trunk.

When he opened it, it looked just like any other normal trunk that a student of Hogwarts would have. Until he pulled out a framed picture stuffed at the bottom of the trunk.

He stared at it.

It was a picture of Harry and Hermione, older but still looking the same, surrounded by seven children. One of them, the oldest it seemed was Ryan. Neville scoffed at his own idiocy and the idiocy of everyone around them. Ryan looked so much like his father, how could he have missed it? How could anyone have missed it, especially Harry and Hermione? Neville laughed out loud again. So that was why Hermione was so attracted to Ryan. He reminded her of Harry, especially since Ryan was the one who had jumped in front of Malfoy's hex. So like his father.

Then Neville frowned. Why was Ryan here then? In their time? He stuffed the picture back in the trunk and closed it. When he opened the dormitory door, he found Ryan standing behind the wall, listening to Harry and Hermione talking downstairs. Hermione seemed to still be upset about the whole thing and Harry was apologizing profusely. He walked up behind Ryan.

“Must be hard to see your parents argue,” he said with a grin.

Ryan sighed. “No kidding.” His eyes widened and he spun around. “I mean…I…er…”

Neville had a wry grin on his face. “You kind of gave yourself away when you called Hermione `Mum'.”

Ryan looked distressed as he slumped against the wall. Neville felt a twinge of sympathy for the guy.

“Come on, lets leave them to talk,” he said, nudging Ryan back to the dorm. He checked the room completely to make sure no one else would overhear what they were going to talk about.

He turned back to Ryan. “So, Harry and Hermione, huh? I always thought so.” He sat down on his bed. “How did it happen?”

Ryan frowned and leaned against his bedpost. He raised a finger and traced the carved woodwork. “At the beginning of this year, on the Platform, Draco Malfoy sent a hex toward my mother and my father jumped in front of it, taking the hit.”

Neville's brow wrinkled. “But you…oh!” He drew that last word out slowly.

Ryan shrugged. “Yeah, oh.”

“So how did you get here in the first place and is that why you haven't gone back?”

“I got here by an accident with a faulty time-turner. Professor Lupin knows about my situation. In fact, before the accident happened he gave me something to give to himself. Anyway, he's working on how to fix the damn thing.”

“And in the meantime, you're trying to fix up your little mistake.”

“Trying is the operative word.”

Neville nodded. “So the future huh? What's it like?”

Ryan shrugged. “Not much different than now. My mum works in the ministry and my dad's an auror.”

He looked eagerly at Ryan. “What am I doing in the future? Wait! No, never mind. I don't want to know, I want it to be a surprise.”

Ryan looked at him sadly. At the eager and happy face of a young man who thought his future was ripe with all sorts of possibilities.

The door opened and Harry stepped through looking stressed and a little sad.

“Everything okay?” Neville asked.

Harry looked furtively at Ryan who immediately got the hint that he was not wanted in the room at the moment.

“I'm just going to…yeah,” Ryan made a hasty exit, giving a pointed look to Neville that said that none of what they discussed was to make it to Harry's ears. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it. His father must have put a silencing charm up because he couldn't hear through it. So, he went downstairs and flopped onto a couch, watching the flames in the fireplace. A sadness washed over him. He missed his parents, his family, his friends at Hogwarts…and Emily.

He sighed.

What he wouldn't give to see Emily again. He'd talk to her this time. He'd ask her out and finally tell her how he felt about her. All these years that he had stayed silent was just wasted time. And time, he realized now, was so precious.

Another weight settled next to him on the couch and he looked over to see his mother. “Hi there! I was…you know, wondering…” he noticed that she was twisting her hands in her lap. “Well…um, do you want to take a walk somewhere?”

Ryan just stared at her. Days of frustration with her and Harry was finally just too much for him. “No I don't want to take a walk! I don't plan on taking a walk and I never want to take a walk with you! I don't want to study! I don't want to sit down next to you in class! I don't even care about seeing you in the Great Hall! TAKE A HINT! I don't like you in that way, in fact, it's really beginning to creep me out. Between Harry itching to wrap his hands around my neck every time he looks and me and you hitting on me, it's a wonder I'll get out of this stupid mess unscathed and without therapy!!”
He hated the look on his mother's face. The look of shock and hurt and then she did the worst thing possible and burst into tears before she ran up to her room. He felt horrible for it but he was still seething with anger at his parents.

He marched upstairs and barged into the dormitory. Harry looked at Ryan with annoyance.

“Do you mind?” he asked.

Ryan stared at his dad. “Yeah I do mind! I'm sick of you taking your frustrations out on me and looking at me like you want to squash me to a pulp! It was supposed to be you who jumped in front of that hex not me! Why weren't you paying attention anyway? You know what?” Ryan tossed his hands in the air, “it just figures that you would be the one to ruin everything!”

He threw himself onto his bed and drew the curtains, casting a charm that would leave him in silence and privacy.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was raining. He stood next to his father in it, both of them getting wet. Ryan wasn't even sure his father noticed. His mother was sitting next to Aunt Ginny who was sobbing. He felt so sad for her. Grandpa Arthur was holding the hands of his twin cousins, two red-headed girls, as they watched their father's casket being lowered into the grave. Ryan felt guilty that he still had his parents.

At the wake, Ryan sat next to Caleb as the two of them watched everyone else in silent repose. His father stood in the corner of the room, tie undone, sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a glass of amber looking liquid in his hand. Ryan wasn't sure how much he had drank but he vaguely wondered if his father was drunk.

Aunt Ginny had approached him. “Harry…please don't blame yours—“

“I'm going to go,” his father cut her off. He bent down and kissed his aunt on the cheek. “I'll see you later.”

He grabbed his jacket and left the Burrow. Uncle Ron helped his mother load everyone in the car and drive them back home. It was a quiet ride. The only sound was of the rain hitting the windshield and that rhythmic strokes of the wipers that washed them away. Ryan and Emma helped unload their siblings while mum and Uncle Ron stayed in the car. What they talked about Ryan didn't know, she was out there for awhile but when he peered out of the window one time he saw his mother's shoulders shaking with sobs. Ryan realized that he hadn't seen his mother cry once since they found out about Uncle Neville's death. She was being strong for the family, for his dad but now she could let go.

His father didn't come home that night, nor the next. Uncle Ron came by again with Caleb to help with odds and ends around the house that his dad usually took care of. An argument the next night between his mother and his long-lost father brought him and Emma sitting in the stairs, listening.

“Ginny is not your wife. I am! This family needs you.”

His father left again. The next day, Caleb's mom came over to help his mother, then Grandma Weasley herself. For two weeks, Ryan didn't see his dad and the anger and resentment was building up in him each day he saw the sad look in his mother's eyes. Finally fed up with it all, he made his way down to the ministry to have a few words with the man. He felt a pang of sadness and anger when he passed the now empty desk that used to be Neville Longbottom's. Sadness at the fact that he would never see the man again, anger because he was somehow breaking apart his family.

The door to his dad's office was closed but it sounded as if someone was in there and they were arguing. The door suddenly opened and Ryan quickly hid himself around the corner as he heard his Uncle Ron's voice.

“Go home, Harry,” he said angrily. “I'm not her husband.”

“And I bet that just kills you,” he heard his father reply. There was silence after that but Ryan saw no one leave the office.

“I'll ignore the remark just this once because you're upset,” Ron said in a low tone. “Once, Harry.” Then he left.

Ryan stood there hidden. He had NO idea what his uncle meant by that. The idea that his parent's had outside lives that didn't revolve around him and his siblings was just so foreign to him.

He didn't confront his father that day. He just came home and helped his mother get dinner ready. As everyone sat down to tuck in, the front door opened and his father walked in. The family was in shock but no one said a thing. The meal was eaten in silence and when it was over, he and Emma took their siblings upstairs so their parents could talk.

Later that night, Ryan went downstairs to get a snack and found his parents sitting on the couch. His mother was cradling his father in her arms as he heard, for the very first time in his life, his father crying. The family slowly started putting itself back together after that but Ryan always held a tiny seed of resentment against his father for becoming human in his eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-->

Revelation

Ryan didn't bother sitting anywhere near Harry and Ron the next morning. He had been hoping to avoid his mother but the matter was taken out of his hands when she didn't show for breakfast.

“How are you doing?” Neville said as he sat across from him.

“I've had better days,” Ryan sighed. “But it was nice to wake up on time and without injury.” Neville nodded his head. “So did Harry say anything?”

Neville took a sip of orange juice and set the cup back down. “After the verbal lashing you gave him? Not really. He really thinks you are off your rocker, though.”

“Maybe I am,” he replied morosely.

“You know Ryan, I might not know Harry and Hermione like you do, but I do know them better, here and now. Have you thought that there's a reason that Harry isn't acting on his feelings for Hermione? Why he came to me last to talk about Hermione instead of going to Ro—“

“Mr. Harrison,” Professor Lupin stepped up behind Ryan and interrupted them, “a word please?”

When they were out in the corridor and they both made sure that no one was around them to hear what he was about to say, Lupin said, “I figured it out.”

A ray of sunlight pierced the dark clouds of Ryan's spirits and he looked up at the professor with hopeful eyes. “You did?”

“Lightning.”

“Lightning?”

“Lightning,” Professor Lupin repeated. “That is the only thing strong enough that can spark the Time Turner back to life.” His face fell. “And that's where we run into a problem, no one knows where lightning will strike or when…Ryan?”

Ryan looked like Christmas had come early. “Be right back,” he said and he sprinted to his common room up to the dorms where his trunk lay. The latest edition of Hogwarts: A History lay in his trunk. The edition that included the explosion in the Astronomy Tower that nearly burned it to the ground, an explosion caused by a lightning bolt.

“Incredible,” Lupin whispered as soon Ryan showed him the book. “Incredible.”

“It says that a lightning bolt caused the explosion in the Astonomy Tower,” he eagerly pointed out.

“So it does, Ryan,” Lupin frowned. “But you do realize that this said event happens in less than forty-eight hours?”

“Um…”

“And that you haven't gotten your parents together yet?”

Ryan leaned forward, determined. “I thrive under pressure. I'm Harry Potter's son!”

~*~

Harry hadn't seen Hermione all morning in their classes, she didn't show up for lunch, she didn't go to her afternoon classes. He was out of his mind with worry.

And evidently, he wasn't the only one.

Ryan plopped down in front of him, next to Ginny. “Hey Au—Ginny, have you seen Hermione?”

Ginny put down her fork and stared at him. “You know, a simple No Thank You would've sufficed.”

Ryan sighed. “Look I didn't mean…I need to speak with her.”

Ginny shook her head. “I'm not going to say one word to her nor am I going to lift a single finger to help you.”

Frustraed, Ryan walked away. He was going to find his mother himself then.

“What was that about?” Harry asked.

Ginny looked up at him as if she were contemplating what she was going to say next. Finally, she just gave up. “Hermione's been upset all day. A simple `No thanks, I'm just not that into you' from Ryan would've sufficed. He didn't have to yell at her that he wouldn't have anything to do with her. Nearly crushed the poor girl…Harry?”

He couldn't believe that Ryan had said that, he was filled with a sense of outrage.

“I'll talk to you later,” he said, absently as he got up and left the table.

The common room was empty but Harry knew that she was up in her room after looking at the Marauder's Map.

“Hermione?” he called out to her. “It's me, Harry. I know you're up there. Could you please come down?”

There was no answer at first but he moved to the foot of the staircase when he heard the scrape of a door opening. Hermione's eyes were puffy and red, her nose was as well and her hair was frizzy and wild. She was still in her pajamas and he briefly wondered if she had been in them all day.

“Hermione,” he said softly. “Come down, I want to talk to you.”

She crossed her arms and frowned sadly. “I'm sorry, Harry. I just don't feel up to it right now.”

Harry moved closer to her, placing a hand on the banister. “Please?” he asked softly.

Hermione looked at him for the longest time before nodding her head and walking down the stairs. She took a seat on one of the couches and Harry sat next to her.

“I hadn't seen you all day and I was worried about you. What happened?”

She turned her head and looked at him. “Harry…do you think I'm pretty?” she asked.

Harry was a little taken aback by her question. He opened his mouth to reply but she cut him off.

“I mean. I wore makeup just like Lavender and Parvati do and everyone in our class thinks they are the best looking girls but he didn't even notice me. And I changed my hair, I made it all straight and pretty because every guy likes a girl with smooth, straight and shiny hair and then I was going to change my clothes because they were all dull and boring. Lavender was going to let me borrow some of hers. I tried flirting with him. I just wanted him to notice me and…and…he said I creeped him out!”

She began to cry and Harry felt an outrage at Ryan. “He said what?!”

Hermione looked over at him with wide eyes. “Oh, Harry, no…don't be mad!” She reached out and grabbed his hand just as he sprang out of his seat.

“He said that you creeped him out?!” Harry was in shock. He couldn't believe that someone would say something like that to Hermione.

“You don't have to repeat it,” she grumbled. “I mean, what's wrong with me, Harry? Why can't I catch a guy's attention so easily like the other girls do?”

Harry knelt down in front of Hermione. “Because you're not like other girls, you're better. Hermione, you have no idea how beautiful you are. You don't need makeup, you have a natural beauty about you and you don't need to do anything to your hair, it's wonderful as it is. The way it tumbles around your shoulders in gentle curls and I don't know what shampoo you use but it always smells nice, comforting actually…to me. And your mind, my God Hermione, you're so smart. The way you raise your hand in class to answer a question no one else knows is just so…so…endearing. Other girls have to do all that stuff so they can be like you and…what?” She was looking at him in a way that she had never looked at him before. It made him a bit uncomfortable…in a very good way.

“You think I'm beautiful?” she asked him, softly.

Harry stared at her, stared at her beautiful face, her kind brown eyes. “Well…yeah…I…”

Hermione reached out and brushed her palm against his cheek. It had the faint traces of stubble on it but he felt wonderful and Hermione suddenly wondered why she had never noticed it before.

But she had.

She had always noticed Harry. He was always there in her heart, the idea always in the back of her mind, shoved there to protect their friendship. His lips were parted slightly, the lips barely chapped. His eyes darkened slightly from their emerald shade and Hermione thought they reflected the same realization.

“Harry,” she whispered as she moved to close the gap between them. Their lips had only brushed together when the portrait door opened and Ron walked in.

Harry sprang away from Hermione whose eyes were wide with surprise. Ron looked between his two friends. He was not smiling.

“So…that's it, huh?” he said before he turned around and stormed back through the door.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other with wide eyes before Harry took off after him.

Ryan was going to kill his uncle.

He was hiding in the stairwell and had witnessed his parent's near-kiss. They had almost gotten together until his Uncle Ron barged in on them. His mother was still sitting on the couch, still in shock. Ryan stepped out to meet her.

As soon as she saw him she got up from the couch. “I have nothing to say to you,” she said.

“You don't have to. I just wanted to apologize,” he said.

“You're a real jerk, you know that?” she snapped at him.

“Yes, I am. I shouldn't have said to you what I did. It was mean and it was cruel. I was just so frustrated with the two of you!”

“With the two of…what are you talking about?” Hermione shook her head in confusion. “You know what? I don't care and I don't want to know.” She moved to the stairs but Ryan stopped her.

“I'm from the future,” he said quickly. “I got to this time by a faulty time turner.”

Hermione stopped and stared at him. “What?”

“I was on the Platform, ready to board the train to take me to Hogwarts for my final year. I had forgotten my trunk outside of the barrier and when I went back for it, I ran into this lady and I grabbed what I now know was a time turner and…well here I am.”

“From the future?” Hermione asked and Ryan nodded. “Prove it.”

“Um,” Ryan thought for a moment then went back upstairs to retrieve something.

~~~~~~~~

“MUMMY!!!! MUMMY!!!!” Ryan and Emma screamed at the top of their lungs. The two of them were huddled together in the bed, Ryan made the brave leap from his bed to hers, sidestepping the monsters that lived underneath both of their beds. The bed was a safe haven from the creatures whose hiding places were betrayed by the frightening flash of lightning. Poor Michael was left to his own defenses in his crib, screaming and crying until Ryan worked up the courage to retrieve their youngest sibling.

There was another bright flash followed immediately by a crack of thunder that shook the house. Ryan and Emma screamed and dove under the covers.

“Ryan! Emma!” their mother proclaimed as she entered the room. The monsters and creatures scurried away. She moved over to the crib to pick up Michael, who immediately calmed down.

“Mummy, I'm scared,” Emma said in a small voice. Another flash, another loud shout of thunder. Their mother jumped slightly.

“Oh dear,” she said, “that is a terribly frightening storm. Well, there's only one thing to do. Come along dears,” she said, turning away from them. Ryan and Emma scrambled off the bed to follow their mother. Ryan grabbed on to his mother's robe with one hand, his sister's hand with the other as their mother led them to her room.

There was a deep rumbling sound and Ryan stopped in his tracks. His mother turned and looked at him in concern.

“There's a dragon in here,” he whispered. His mother looked at him, puzzled for a moment before a wide grin broke out on her face.

“Oh no, darling,” she giggled. “That's your father.” She led them to the bed and poked at their father. “Move over, Harry,” she ordered.

“Huh? What's going on?” his father asked, yawning.

“The children are frightened of the storm,” his mother replied as she helped Emma onto the bed.

“There's a storm?” his father said as a loud peal of thunder shook the house again. His mother tutted.

“Hi Daddy!” Emma said, brightly as she snuggled in next to him.

“Hey Princess,” he replied, kissing the top of her head. Ryan settled in next while his mother put Michael in between him and her. She reached over and stroked the hair on his head.

“Go to sleep darling, your father and I will keep you safe,” she said.

“Promise?” Emma asked.

“Promise,” his father answered.

“This is quite a storm isn't it?” his mother said.

“Yeah,” his father replied. “Kind of a nice break though, its been so hot and dry lately. This reminds me of the time I had a quidditch match and I couldn't see anything because the water kept fogging up my glasses and you put an Impervious charm on it.”

“Hmm, I remember,” his mother replied.

“Did I ever thank you for that?”

“I'm sure you did.”

“You really are the most brilliant witch of our age, you know.”

Ryan closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep knowing that his parents were watching over him, keeping him safe.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Here,” he said, handing her the newest edition of Hogwarts: A History. Hermione stared at it with wide eyes as she took it from him. She thumbed through the pages that she knew by heart and saw indeed that there were new additions to it. She looked back at him with wide eyes.

“I didn't mean what I said earlier,” he went on to explain. “It was mean, I was frustrated and I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I'm sorry. When I said it was giving me the creeps that you were…er…hitting on me, it was because I know you in the future.”

“You do?” she asked.

Ryan wiped his sweaty palms on his robes. “You're my mum.”

Hermione dropped the beloved book from her hands in favor of gripping the stairs' banister to hold herself up. She felt as if the room were spinning and she couldn't get a grip where she was. There was one thought that did creep forward. She knew how babies were made and if her…son was standing in front of her, then…

“Who…who is…your…who is your father?” she asked.

Ryan looked at her in despair then searched around the room. He found a small glass on a table and he took it, dumping the water inside in the fireplace. He tapped it with his wand and transfigured them to a pair of eyeglasses. He stepped back in front of his mum and slowly put them on his face.

Blood rushed and roared in Hermione's ears when she saw Ryan transform before her very eyes to a near spitting image of Harry.

“Mum?” Ryan asked with concern. Hermione's eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fainted, Ryan catching her before she hit the floor.

-->

The Past Revealed

His dad looked over the list of school supplies that he needed. “Well, I guess a trip to Diagon Alley is in order for the weekend.” Ryan beamed. He was so excited to receive his letter of acceptance from Hogwarts. It came earlier today, his mother had handed it to him with a cryptic grin on his face. He didn't know what it was until he turned it over and saw the Hogwarts seal on it. He screamed with joy and delight.

He was going to Hogwarts! He was going to Hogwarts!

Well, of course, he knew he was going to Hogwarts. It was a given but he had been waiting for this moment for eleven years. Years he had spent listening to his parents tell their stories of their childhood, years of listening to his uncles' tales of scholastic debauchery. And now, he would finally experience it on his own. He couldn't wait.

His mother had prepared a special dinner that night, his favorite dish spaghetti and his favorite dessert of chocolate cake. His siblings looked upon him with envy and pride, the first of them to leave home for that coveted school of wizardry.

“Can I see?” Emma asked, curious to see what was on the list. His dad handed her the list as his mother got up from the table to retrieve the cake. “Oh, you are so lucky,” his sister grinned. “I can't wait to get my letter.” Ryan's attention was drawn away from the table to his mother who had brought the cake out of the fridge and had it set on the island in all is chocolate glory.

“Another year Emma, just wait one more year,” his father said indulgently to her.

His mother was cutting the cake up in slices. Ryan picked his own out immediately. She stopped mid-slice and set the knife down and gripped the countertop. Something wasn't right, Ryan thought as he looked at his mother. She had her eyes closed and looked as if she was taking deep breaths to calm herself.

“Dad?” Ryan asked fearfully. His dad looked at him then looked over at his wife. To Ryan's absolute horror, his mother suddenly turned very pale and her legs gave out from under her.

“MUM!” Emma shrieked as Ryan and his dad darted into the kitchen to catch his mother. She had banged her head on the counter on the way down and he could see a thin cut that began to bleed.

“Emma!” he dad yelled back to his daughter. “Go to the floor and get Grandma.” Emma nodded and left the table. Michael began to whimper. Toby stared fearfully at his mother. Ethan seemed frozen in terror, glued to his seat.

“Ryan,” his father said, catching his attention as he knelt by his mother. “Get a clean, wet wash cloth.” He nodded and did as his father told him. As he ran the cloth under the stream of water from the faucet he noticed that his hands were trembling. He dutifully passed the cloth to his father who proceeded to tenderly sponge it over his mother's face.

“Hermione?” his father said softly. “Hermione, darling. Open your eyes.”

Elation filled Ryan when he saw his mother's eyes flutter open. “Hello beautiful,” his father greeted her. She tried to sit up but his father gently held her down. “Give it a moment,” he said.

“What happened?” his mother asked.

“I don't know, you just collapsed,” his father replied. His mother touched a hand to her forehead to assess her injury.

“I think we're going to have to take you to St. Mungo's,” his father said softly.

“Oh dear! What happened?” Grandma Molly had come into the kitchen.

“She's had a little accident,” his father explained, helping his mother to her feet. “I'm going to take her to St. Mungo's to get her taken care of. Would you mind watching the children?”

“Of course not,” she replied. Toby hopped out of his chair and clung to his grandmother's leg.

Ryan watched as his mother slowly stood and took a tentative step forward, his father helping her along. She held the washcloth to her bleeding cut. “You children listen to your Grandmother, okay? Mummy and I will be back.” The children all nodded solemnly, fear still in their eyes.

“Dad,” Ryan called out. “Can I go with you?”

His father looked at him for a moment then smiled. “Of course.” Ryan grabbed his cloak and stepped in the floo with his parents.

*

Having three other obnoxious brothers, Ryan was very familiar with the emergency waiting room of St. Mungo's. He took his usual seat as his father checked in his mother. “Who is it this time?” the medinurse at the desk sighed.

“My wife has had an accident,” his father was explaining. Ryan sat back and sighed. The last time they were in here was yesterday when he and Ethan got a hold of a bottle of Stickworthy's Ultimate Sticky Glue and used it to fuse Toby's hands to Crookshanks. His mother was furious and his father had grounded them for another two weeks. That was on top of the two weeks he had received when he accidentally turned his sister blue. He had missed a weekend Quidditch game with Caleb and his father. Emma got to go instead. Ugh! She didn't even like Quidditch, or so he liked to tell himself to add to the injustice of it all. Stupid Cornish Pixie look-a-like.

He sat with his father in the waiting room while the medi-wizards checked over his mother. He looked up at his dad. “She'll be okay, right dad?”

His father looked down at him. “Of course she will be.”

But he would never forget the look of terror that crossed his father's face when he saw his mother fall like that. It would forever be etched in his mind. His father wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “I'm glad you came with me,” he said. Ryan gave him a small smile.

“Mr. Potter?” a mediwitch smiled down at them. “You can go in and see your wife now.”

His mother was sitting on the exam table. She had a small bandage on her forehead but she smiled brightly when the two of them walked in. “Hey there!” she said as Ryan ran over to her and hugged her.

“How are you feeling?” his father asked, stroking his mother's hair. Ryan still wouldn't let go.

“My head aches a little but I feel fine.”

“That's good, Mrs. Potter,” the mediwitch said as she perused the chart in her hand. “Your vitals are normal, your bloodwork came back normal. You had a minor cut on your forehead from the fall but other than that, you are healthy and strong.” Relief showed on his father's face. “I'm just going to recommend that you take it easy for a few days, get off of your feet. Fainting can happen during pregnancy and—“

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” his father blurt out. “Pregnancy?”

The mediwitch stared at them. “Yes,” she said slowly. “I doubt that the fetuses were harmed but I want you off of your feet—“

“Fetuses?” his mother interrupted.

“Yes,” the mediwitch smiled. “You're having twins.”

There was a loud thump and he and his mother turned around to see that his father was lying on the floor, having fainted.

“Oh dear,” the mediwitch sighed.

~*~

The dormitory door opened and Neville walked down the stairs. He stopped when he saw Hermione on the floor with Ryan perched worriedly over her. “What happened?” he asked as he made his way over to the two of them.

“I told her,” Ryan explained. “She fainted.”

Neville reached out to him and swiped the glasses off of his face. “What do you think you're doing?!” he hissed, tossing the glasses across the room. Ryan forgot he had them on.

Hermione moaned and stirred. She opened her eyes, blinking rapidly in the light. Ryan's face hovered over hers. “Are you okay?” The words he had last spoken to her crept into her conscious. Oh God. He had Harry's eyes. Blackness threatened to overcome her but Ryan and Neville's voices pulled her back.

She slowly sat up and took a moment to gather her bearings. “Hermione are you okay?” Neville asked. She looked at him then at Ryan.

“He knows,” Ryan said.

Hermione blinked at him. “Ryan, you should know better than to tell people your secret. It could have detrimental effects on your future…if you are who you say you are.” She couldn't believe she could be thinking that in a time like this. Her supposed son, from the future, was standing there talking to her.

A son whose father was Harry.

Oh, she was going to faint again. Neville and Ryan where talking and she focused on their voices.

“I came to apologize to her,” Ryan explained.

“And telling her led to telling her about you?” Neville asked in disbelief.

“I had to tell her why I wasn't attracted to her. It wasn't anything personal.”

Hermione groaned. Ugh, she had a crush on her own son. Ryan looked down at her, his face filled with understanding. “Well, I look a lot like my dad. I suppose you couldn't help but feel some sort of attraction.”

Hermione blushed. “I'm not…attracted…to Harry.” The memory of their near-kiss was burned in her mind and accelerated her heart rate. Neville snorted.

Almost as if summoned by her, the portrait door opened and Harry marched through. He saw Hermione sitting on the stairs with Neville and that jerk Ryan near her. She looked flushed but Harry was more focused on Ryan.

“Some nerve you have talking to her,” Harry said angrily as he approached Ryan. Harry had followed Ron out of the common room and down the corridors. He had tried to get Ron to say something to him. Talk to him. Harry wanted to say that what he saw was just an accident but something stopped him from saying those words. Ron wanted to hear it, hear his friend say that it was a fluke that he had nearly kissed their female best friend, one that he, Ron, had a bit of a crush on.

But Harry couldn't say it was an accident. He wouldn't allow those words to form because, honestly, he was anticipating it. He wanted it to happen, he had only brushed her lips with his own but something sparked inside of him, something fierce that wouldn't settle down until he did fully kiss her. It was a taunting need.

But he was torn. He knew how Ron felt about Hermione and it would ruin their friendship. But he didn't want Ron with Hermione, he couldn't want that after he nearly kissed her. The thought of any guy being with Hermione stirred a jealous and wounded hurt within him.

He approached Ryan, the git that caused this mess in the first place. “Harry, no.” Hermione said as she stood and moved in front of him. Harry stopped and looked at her in disbelief. “He apologized to me. It was all just one big misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding?” Harry said incredulously. “He insults you and makes you cry and it was all a misunderstanding?”

Ryan stepped forward. “Harry, listen, I can explain—“

“Ryan don't.” Hermione stopped him be placing a firm but gentle hand on his arm. Insinctively, Ryan obeyed. Harry's eyes fell to their point of contact.

“No need to,” Harry said bitterly. “I understand perfectly.” He then turned and walked away. Hermione called out to him but he was already out of the room.

She turned to Ryan. “Don't worry. It will all work out.” Her voice was laced with uncertainty and worry.

“It'll all work out?” he said incredulously. “You don't understand do you?” Of course she didn't. She didn't have hours to try and get his parents back together. In fact, things were as bad as they could be. Frustrated, he marched upstairs to the dorm.

Neville came up a few moments later. As he opened the door, Ryan could hear the common room filling with voices as the other students returned from dinner. “What happened?” he asked.

Ryan sighed. “They almost kissed. They really did. And then Ron showed up and interrupted them.”

“Oh,” Neville said. Ryan looked at him. That `Oh' had a more meaningful connotation.

“What?” Ryan asked. Neville blinked at him as if suddenly realizing he may have said more than he should have. “What?” he persisted.

“Well,” Neville leaned against the bedpost and eyed the curtains. “I just…How much have your, um, parents told you about their friendship with Ron?”

“Just that they were the best of friends. Nearly inseparable.”

“I guess nearly is the key word here,” Neville muttered. He looked back at Ryan. “Ron has a bit of a…crush on Hermione.”

Ryan stared at Neville then looked away. The memory of the argument between his father and his uncle Ron suddenly made a whole lot of sense. “Oh.” He suddenly felt sick inside at this revelation. Neville began to walk away, leaving Ryan to his thoughts and looking back once.

“Ron does find someone in the future, doesn't he?”

Ryan looked up at him then he grinned slowly. “Yeah, he marries aunt Luna.”

“Lovegood?” Neville spluttered in surprise. The he looked at Ryan eagerly. “Who do I marry?” he asked with excitement then he shook his head. “No, don't tell me. I have my whole life to find out.” He said with a grin then opened the door and left.

Sadness filled Ryan as he stared at the door Neville had just passed through. He remembered the funeral. Aunt Ginny sobbing. The two little girls holding on to their grandfather's hands. He remembered his parent's grief and his father's anguish.

Making up his mind, he reached to his book bag and pulled out a blank piece of parchment and a quill as he began to scratch away.

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