Disclaimer: I hope everyone realises that Harry Potter belongs to J K Rowling!

All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of the author. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

This story is being edited, tweaked and generally cleaned up. All chapters.

And then I'll hopefully get back into the story and churn out some more chapters :)

In the midst of peace the Dark Lord shall return

From the past his loyal followers will go

For peace to return three rescuers are needed

A mother, a father and most faithful a friend

Taken before their time

Twice back two rivals must go to save them;

A son of the three and his raven rival

To pay the sacred exchange of time

London, England, 2019...

Cara stared at Professor Longbottom in confusion. "Professor, I don't understand."

He smiled down at her, tall as most were around Cara. "I'm not your professor anymore Miss Gernet, but Professor McGonagall would like to see you."

"I understand that," Cara said, "What I don't understand is why?"

Cara had never been called in to see the Headmistress. In Hogwarts, Cara was the person that blended in. Not popular, but not unpopular. Not beautiful, but not ugly. Not a genius, but not an idiot.

She was an average Jane.

No one usually took much notice of her, and it was something that Cara preferred, especially after some embarrassing events in her Hogwarts career. She didn't bother anyone and no one bothered her. Some could call Cara unsocial, but it stopped being annoying when you weren't around people enough to hear the label.

Anyway, Cara thought, if I had never been asked to see the Headmistress when I was still in school, why would I four years later as an Auror?

"I'm sure you'll find out why soon enough." Professor Longbottom said. Cara easily saw through the fake smile on his face. Just because she didn't hang out with a lot of people, didn't mean she was oblivious to their cues. "So, are you coming? We wouldn't want to keep her waiting."

"Right... right..." Cara said, putting down the papers in her hand and leaving a note for her unit chief to know where she was. Joining Professor Longbottom by the fireplace, he threw in a handful of Floo powder and we both stepped in.

"McGonagall's Office!"

After a quick – but as usual unpleasant – trip by the Floo network, Cara was thrown from the fireplace and landed in a heap on the floor of Professor McGonagall's office. She heard some sniggering and looked up to see a face she had been hoping she wouldn't.

"What are you laughing at, Lupin?"

"Still not quite got your landings I see, Gernet."

She stood up and dusted herself off and plucking some stray debris from her raven hair, before glaring at the boy beside her. His hair was still its trademark turquoise, and a smirk sat on his face as he looked down at her. "Have you? Or have you finally grown out of your clumsiness."

He started to glare at Cara too, hair growing redder with his anger or embarrassment. He opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by a sharp voice with a Scottish burr. "Will you two pipe down? Goodness, it's as if neither of you has grown up from your days in Hogwarts."

Cara bit her lip, embarrassed, and turned to face the stern-faced McGonagall. "Sorry Professor."

"Hmm." McGonagall said, looking down at us through her glasses. How is it I'm standing while she's sitting, and I still feel smaller than her? "We will begin shortly once a few more people arrive."

Cara nodded to her, turning to look around the office.

On the walls were many portraits of sleeping past Heads of Hogwarts, and many other small knick-knacks covered almost every surface of the room. It wasn't the type of office she had pictured McGonagall having, messier, but it had a charm about it that Cara found soothing. There were a few clear touches of McGonagall's use of the room though, the most obvious being a tartan patterned tin of biscuits sat on her desk.

The fireplace flared up, and Cara turned to see several people step out one after another, eyes widening in surprise at who she was seeing.

First came the world famous Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived and Cara's boss, and his wife the former Holyhead Harpie Quidditch player Ginny. Then came his right hand man Ron Weasley, recognisable by his flaming red hair, and his wife Hermione, a big name in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Basically, a stream of very famous people came out of the fireplace kept coming, until Cara was surprised so many could still fit in one office.

"Teddy!" Ginny said with a smile, pulling him into what looked like a very tight hug, "How have you been? I haven't seen you in a while. Been very busy with Auror work?"

Lupin smiled at her, nodding his head. "Sorry Ginny, I'll try and come over soon," he said, making Ginny smile up at him, before Harry pulled him into another hug.

"Is everybody here? Yes? Very well, let's begin then." McGonagall said, standing up behind her desk and staring down on the crowd before her. "I have called you all here because I have received some very disturbing news." She held the gazes of everyone in the room before continuing. "We have news that a group of Voldemort supporters still on the run have banded together, and they have come up with a plot to bring back the Dark Lord."

Voices broke out, but Cara could only stand in shock at what she had heard. Voldemort back?! No! We cannot let that happen. How? Who's doing this-

"Quiet!" McGonagall cried, commanding the attention of the whole room instantly. "We have checked our sources, and it is a very real and possible threat."

"Minerva, what exactly are this group planning on doing?" a deep voice cried out. Cara turned and saw it was the Minister himself, Kingsley Shacklebolt, talking.

McGonagall sighed, "They plan on returning to the past and bringing Voldemort to the present."

"Is that even possible?"

"We believe so. If this happens, we could be looking at another war."

Chaos ensued as everyone panicked. Those who had lived through the first and second wars against Voldemort and the Deatheaters had horror and sadness on their faces, afraid of living through such terrible times again. And those who had yet to experience such a war, the 'next generation', could feel that same terror at the potential end to their time of peace. Cara turned and saw that even Lupin's face, usually care-free, was now deathly serious.

"Quiet, please!"

Hermione, voice of reason, stepped forward. "Professor, what are we going to do?"

McGonagall nodded her head and began to speak. "First, as of today, the Order of the Phoenix is reinstated." The Order of the Phoenix? Cara had heard of its activities during both wars as a secret group fighting against the Voldemort and the Deatheaters under the 'command' of the famous Dumbledore. "And secondly... Professor Dumbledore had, before his passing, prepared some things for us. He left me a transcript of a prophecy, apparently made before the defeat of Voldemort."

"What does the prophecy say?"

McGonagall adjusted her square-shaped glasses higher on her nose, before picking up a sheet of parchment from the desk.

"In the midst of peace the Dark Lord shall return

From the past his loyal followers will go

For peace to return three rescuers are needed

A mother, a father and most faithful a friend

Taken before their time

Twice back two rivals must go to save them;

A son of the three and his raven rival

To pay the sacred exchange of time."

Silence was met by the prophecy, because honestly what can you say? It sounded really bad. Hermione once again took the initiative, "Professor, does this mean-"

"Yes Mrs. Weasley, apparently we are also going to be sending people back in time, two people. And only to save three others, not to bring them forward apparently. I think the three mentioned to be saved are Remus and Nymphadora Lupin, and Sirius Black; 'A mother, a father and most faithful a friend'. The question now remains as to who will be going back." McGonagall said again. "I believe Mr. Lupin is without doubt one of the two mentioned that will be going back, 'A son of the three'."

"Professor, are you sure it isn't me?" Cara heard Harry ask. "No offence Teddy, but Professor are you sure it isn't my parents that are the ones to be saved? I have already defeated Voldemort once-"

"Do you have – what we think the prophecy speaks of – a rival in Ravenclaw Mr. Potter?" she asked.

Her eyebrows were raised and lips pursed in a look Cara had come to associate when she was being challenged by a student. Apparently that look still occurred even after you left Hogwarts. At Harry's sheepish look, McGonagall nodded her head.

"So I thought. I'm sorry Mr. Potter, but if we were to save your parents, Voldemort would have never been defeated in the first place, because you would not have had the necessary power to do so."

"So... who's going to go with me then?" Lupin asked. McGonagall remained silent, just moving her eyes from him. Lupin followed her gaze, and Cara soon found herself staring straight into his incredulous grey eyes. "Her?!"

Cara frowned at him, "Excuse me?!"

"You're excused." He said, turning back to McGonagall. "There has to be someone more capable."

No way did he just say that! "I am an Auror too, Lupin, I am perfectly capable of going on any mission you are."

He turned back to face Cara, stepping towards her until we were almost nose to nose - the height difference made it difficult for them to actuallybe nose to nose. "Only members of the Order of the Phoenix should be present."

She glared at him, "First, you are not my superior so you cannot just tell me to leave. And second, you aren't a member of the Order any more than I am. What makes you think you can stay here too?"

"My parents were members, so by proxy I am a member."

"Ditto."

Lupin looked genuinely surprised. "Your parents were members?"

"Yes!"

"As interesting as this is to watch, I believe we are facing much larger problems." McGonagall said. They turned back to her. "However much you may not like it Mr. Lupin, I believe that Miss Gernet is in fact the raven i.e. Ravenclaw rival spoken of in the prophecy. I suggest you two learn to get along while we figure out a way to send you back in time with no Time-Turner."

It was a chilly night, especially beside the water of the Black Lake. But it was calming Cara being here.

Everyone else at the meeting this afternoon had left, but she had headed out here. This had been one of her favourite place when she was in Hogwarts. Sure you got a little cold and your butt got a little wet on the dewy grass, but Cara liked the solitude, so the walk was quite worthwhile to her, and if she did get lonely there was always the Giant Squid to talk to.

Besides, Cara had come out here to think, not to socialise.

She was now a new member of the Order of the Phoenix.

She had been selected for a mission where she would go back in time to save three really important people.

And if Cara failed my mission, it could be the end of the good free Wizarding World.

No pressure there.

Oh! And to top it all off, she'd be going on this mission with a boy she couldn't stand, the one, the only, Teddy R Lupin. The only plus side to this Cara could see, was that because her boss - Harry Potter - knew exactly why she was going to be on an extended 'sick leave', so Cara wouldn't get into too much trouble if she was off longer than expected.

"Cara?"

She looked behind her and smiled when she spotted who was walking towards her. It wasn't hard to miss him. "Hey Hagrid, how've you been?"

"Alright." He dropped to sit beside her with a huff, before smiling down at her. "Sorry I haven't replied to yer owls recently. I've been a little busy. Order stuff, top secret!"

"I understand."

Cara remembered that hours spent out by the Lake weren't always spent by herself. Hagrid was her friend, having stumbled across her one day in second year when she was sat here all upset. They had been enjoying tea and enduring rock cakes together ever since.

"So... big mission fer you, hey?"

Cara nodded her head, "I suppose, but I can do it. I won't fail. Can't."

Hagrid chuckled, "Sometimes I wonder why you weren' put into Gryffindor."

"Maybe because I was 'destined' to be the 'raven rival'," she said, sarcasm dripping from her every word. "At least there'll be a functioning brain between the two of us."

"Teddy's not bad. Never understood why ya didn't like each other..." Hagrid said. "Anyway, I came here to give you somethin'. It's 'ere somewhere."

He started patting the millions of pockets on his coat, a frown on his face when he was still unsuccessful in his search. Eventually he seemed to remember something and reached around his neck, removing a necklace of sorts and handing it to Cara.

It was a simple strip of leather, from which a small silver ring hung, a roughly cut dark gemstone embedded into it. It was quite plain in design, but the gem was extraordinary, appearing completely black, but reflecting the colours of the rainbow when Cara moved it in the moonlight.

"It's lovely, Hagrid."

"S'one of the few things my Dad gave me, bless him."

Cara stared in shock at Hagrid. "Hagrid, I can't take this, it's too important to you!"

"I know, that's the point, see?" he said. "Whatever time you're in, if you need help, you come find me or Dumbledore and show that t' us. We'll believe you, and we'll help, whatever you need. See? Useful, innit? And then, when you come back – safe, sound and alive mind you – you can give it back."

Cara put the necklace on, before leaning over and wrapping her arms as far as they would go around Hagrid, hugging him as tight as she could. "I'll take good care of it for you."

"Take good care of yerself. Teddy too."

"I will, I promise... even for Lupin."

"Good. Now, how's about warming up with a nice cuppa tea? We could even add a splash o' brandy."

"That sounds great Hagrid."

I'm going to need a strong drink after today.

Edited 14/12/15