Hindsight

Summary: "Ten years," James whispered to his wife. "We've been dead for Ten years… how is this possible?" Ten years after the tragedy at Godric's Hollow, James and Lily come back to life and find their world turned upside down.

AN: Despite the little jokes I make in the beginning of this chapter, I'm still serious about not really getting into pairings in my story so, sorry to those who would love to see it played out, and to anyone who doesn't want it to happen- then you have nothing to worry about. Well until I decide how I'm writing the epilogue. You never know!

Chapter 32

"A Time-Turner," Ron gaped as he yanked it out from under her shirt. "That's how you've been randomly disappearing, and how you're taking all of these classes? You've been using a Time-Turner!"

Hermione stood frozen for what felt like a month before she scowled and slapped a hand over his mouth. When Neville ran to them just a second ago and whispered something into Ron's ear, she hardly expected this.

"How do you know about that?!"

Ron glared at her and shoved her hand away. "Neville caught you. He was getting worried about how tired and overworked you've been. Even Crookshanks looks scared for you! Nev followed you around to see what was happening and saw it."

"Neville caught me?" Hermione gasped.

Ron crossed his arms. "What's that supposed to mean? He's much smarter than he looks. Even if he's still a bit of a coward!"

"I'm can defend myself," Neville said. "And hey!"

"Professor McGonagall is going to be so cross with me," she bemoaned. "No one is supposed to see! You're going to get me into so much trouble, Neville!"

"Don't go blaming Neville for this! You're the one person I know crazy enough to run themselves ragged just to take more classes!"

"Listen, you don't have to worry about the Time-Turner, I'm perfectly fine," Hermione growled. "What we need to be worrying about is Hagrid and Buckbeak!"

She made a good point.

After the mishap that happened during their first Care of Magical Creatures class, Malfoy and his family had been doing everything to get Hagrid punished. It turned out they found a way. Buckbeak the hippogriff was to be executed. They were all devastated. Harry, who had been the one to successfully gain Buckbeak's respect-so much so that the hippogriff allowed him a ride- felt guilty for being too wrapped up in other things to help his friends search for a way to save him. Now, it was too late. Buckbeak would be gone by sunset.

"What we need to be worrying about is how you're digging yourself into an early grave!"

"Careful, Ron, someone might think you actually care about someone other than yourself!"

Ron's jaw dropped wide open before he clenched it shut. He pointed an accusing finger at her. "Have it your way, then, but don't think I'll visit you in the Hospital Wing when you've keeled over and done yourself in with this nonsense!" With that, he stormed away, Neville chasing after him immediately.

"Wait! Let's just talk about this, Ron!" they heard the boy shout.

"Do whatever you want with that barmy nut!"

Harry looked to Hermione, who was staring at Ron's retreating back. He reached over and took the Time-Turner from around her neck to examine it.

"You know, when I told my parents I wanted to be a normal teenager, I didn't realize that included all this… drama."

Hermione frowned guiltily but refused to be defeated. "He can't possibly stay angry with me. We have to take care of Hagrid, after all."

Harry shrugged. "Well, you know Ron. He'll be right angry about it for a while but he cares about you too much to let it go on forever. Besides, Neville and I reckon he's only acting this way because he kind of fancies you."

"He kind of what?" She spluttered. "He doesn't- he wouldn't… but he's so rude to me!"

He nodded emphatically. "Not that he knows it himself. Poor kid. Still stuck pulling pigtails. He'll never get a girlfriend if he keeps acting that way. Though I hear Lavender Brown doesn't mind much."

Her frown deepened. Harry raised a brow.

"Jealous?"

"No!" she answered much too quickly.

Harry snickered at her and she reached over to slap his arm. "Ouch! Sorry!" He passed the hourglass necklace back to her. "You're right though. We've got more important things to worry about. Buckbeak, being one of them."

"Well, how are we going to help? The-" she became teary-eyed. "The execution is in a few hours."

Harry bowed his head sadly. "Listen, we'll go down to Hagrid in a bit, after Ron's calmed down, see if there's anything we can do. But uhm, there's something I have to talk to you about. I tried to tell you guys earlier, but that was when you'd just found out Buckbeak lost… Something weird happened in Divinations today. Like really weird, even for me."

Hermione rolled her eyes and huffed as she thought of the class. "Oh, honestly, Harry. You aren't about to start taking her seriously, are you? She predicted your death a month into school, and then pushed it back a few weeks every time you made it to class alive. 'Oh, you made it through the night? My dear, do try to stay safe next Tuesday.'"

"No, Hermione, it was really bad this time," he argued. "You know I don't believe her but it was different. This was- it was like it was real."

The girl suddenly felt quite worried by the look Harry was giving her. He'd never seemed this bothered by Trelawney before. "Harry, if this is something you're really concerned about, shouldn't we be talking to your family about this?"

"No!"

"But, why not?"

He rubbed at his face in exasperation. "Hermione, I get that I'm in constant danger and what not, but I'm trying to show my parents that I'm able to take care of myself without having to run to them for every single problem I have."

"From what you're saying, this sounds like it's more than a little problem, Harry."

"I don't care!" he insisted. "Besides, tonight is the full moon. They don't need the added stress."

"Well, what exactly did Trelawney say to you?"

Harry bit his lip and smiled sheepishly at her, like he'd merely been caught stealing Chocolate Frogs from Neville's trunk. "Uhm, that the Dark Lord will rise again with his servant's aid?"

Hermione's face fell. "What?" she asked flatly.

"Estimated time of arrival, somewhere around, well, tonight?"

She gripped her chest, finding it hard to breathe. "Harry… Harry, it's just Trelawney, right? She's been wrong about every other prediction she's made. What makes this one different?"

"It was the way she said it. Like she just drifted off and then she just started spouting it out. And she fell forward a bit before she came too and was her regular self again." Harry shrugged helplessly. "Maybe she was just trying to rattle me. She probably knew I was making up my answers during the exam."

"I guess that's not so farfetched," Hermione murmured hopefully. "She must've caught on to the way Neville, Ron and you have been making up the homework too. But we should be careful tonight, just in case, okay?"

Harry let out a stuttered breath. "I'm scared, Hermione. If he comes back and he hurts them, I don't know what I'll do."

Hermione rushed forward and hugged him hard. "Like you'd ever let that happen."

He smiled weakly against her shoulder. "Let's go find Nev and Ron. Hagrid needs us."

When they finally found the boys, Ron decided to set aside his annoyance with Hermione for Hagrid's sake. Of course, he stood as far away from her as possible. As they got closer to Hagrid's hut, their mood sunk even further. The memory of Hermione slapping Malfoy right across the face did nothing to cheer any of them up. The high the Gryffindors were on from winning the Quidditch Cup again meant nothing to them at that moment. When Hermione began sniffling audibly and leaned against Neville, Ron couldn't help himself and he finally stepped closer to her.

"None of that," he muttered to her. "We have to stay strong for Hagrid."

She gripped his arm as tight as she could and she wiped at her eyes. "Okay. I'm okay."

They finally reached the hut and Hagrid was none too pleased with them. "I told you not to come down here," he snapped angrily. "Yeh shouldn've to see this!"

"We couldn't leave you alone to face this by yourself," Harry argued. "To hell with what the Ministry says! I think they owe me one really, what with everything that's going on."

Hagrid let them in, hands trembling as he tried to hold himself together. He bustled around, preparing tea for them for he was desperate for a distraction. "I wouldn've been alone! Dumbledore's comin'. Children shouldn' have to watch something like-" The milk jug he was holding slipped from his grasp and shattered on the floor.

Hermione jumped up and hurried to clean it before he could. "I'll do it, Hagrid. And I'll make the tea too. Just sit for now," she cooed like a mother comforting a child.

He pointed at a cabinet, where she could get another milk jug, before sitting down between the boys. Neville reached up and rubbed his back soothingly as Harry and Ron glanced at each other with hopelessness.

"Here, Hagrid. Someone wanted to visit you." He tugged on his sleeve and out came Sally, who landed on the floor and slithered up Hagrid's body. The giant man cuddled the snake as best as he could.

"Was he with you this entire time?" Neville asked in wonder. "How does he manage to stay so quiet?"

"He knows he'd get me into trouble if anyone saw him," Harry answered with a shrug.

"What a good snake," Hagrid blubbered. "A good pet! I'm sure Beaky would've loved to get to know you."

"There has to be something we can do," Harry said. "Dumbledore maybe?"

"He's tried," Hagrid answered despondently as Sally curled around him. "He told 'em Buckbeak's all right, but he's got no power ter overrule the Committee. 'Sides, they're all running scared. Yeh know what Lucius Malfoy's like… threatened 'em, I expect. An' Macnair, the executioner, he's an old pal o' Malfoy's."

Hagrid's lip trembled but he refused to cry. Hermione kept busy, her back turned to them as she cried silently.

"Harry's right," she stated after stifling a sob. "We'll stay with you. I'd like to see the Ministry try to send us away."

"No! Yeh'll go back to the castle! I won't have it!"

"We'll tie ourselves to you if we have to, Hagrid," Ron shouted. "They won't tear us away from you! We aren't gonna-"

Hermione let out a terrified shriek as she backpedaled into the table and threw Hagrid's other milk jug away from her. The others were on immediate alert, springing to their feet.

"What? What is it?" Hagrid asked, his confusion giving him a moment's relief from his grief.

Hermione turned on her heel, her eyes landing right on Harry. "HARRY, RUN!"

Harry stared at her, mouth open and heart beating furiously "What-"

Then, standing right behind her, appearing out of nowhere, was Peter Pettigrew. The only noise in the tiny hut was the sound of broken pieces of the jug falling off of Peter's clothing onto the floor.

Hagrid flew forward with a roar, his hands reaching out for the man. Hermione stumbled out of the way and into her friends, who were dragging Harry out towards the door.

"RUN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! RUN!" Ron was yelling into his ear.

Peter dodged Hagrid's form, shifting back into a rat and scurrying forward before transforming again and chasing after the children. Harry, still in complete shock by what was happening, could barely get his feet to work. For the most part, he was only moving because they were all pulling him uphill.

"YOU LEAVE THEM ALONE!" they heard Hagrid bellowing behind them. "GET BACK HERE! MURDERER! MURDERER!"

And then Harry snapped out of his daze and began sprinting towards the castle.

He was going to die. Pettigrew was going to take him and he was going to die. He was never going to see his parents again. What was he going to do? What were they going to tell his parents?

Like a beam of light, Dumbledore and Fudge walked out of the castle and started their trek downward in their direction.

"Help!" he screamed. "Help!"

"It's him!" Neville gasped out behind him. "It's Pettigrew!"

The two men stood baffled for a second. Fudge turned to his guards, demanding they help the children. Dumbledore was running now, his wand in hand as he cried for them to run faster.

Harry knew it was a stupid idea to turn around, but he needed to know if they were any further from him. Like he was stuck in slow motion, Harry looked over his shoulder and saw Peter about to grab Hermione. Throwing his own safety to the wind he turned and went back, shoving his arm away just as Peter's fingers were about to close in on her shirt. Harry hugged Hermione to his chest, but she turned them so she was protecting him instead. Ron was standing in front of them instantly, pointing his wand shakily at the criminal.

"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too!" Ron said fiercely.

"S-stand aside," Peter stuttered. "I don't have to hurt you, boy. It's only Harry I want."

"Didn't you just hear what I said?!" he spat. "You stay the bloody hell away from him!"

Almost like he didn't want to, Peter flicked his wand thrice, streams of light hitting Ron and Hermione, but somehow missing Neville. The boy looked at Harry before running towards the castle, screaming for help the entire way.

"No!" Harry cried. "What did you do?! What did you do to them?!"

Peter used Harry's panic against him and grabbed him while he was staring down at his friends. He jabbed his wand into the boy's neck and whipped him around so that Dumbledore could see.

"C-come closer and he's dead. I swear it!"

"Let him go, Peter," Albus ordered.

Fudge and his men looked ready for a duel. The Minister looked at his men and ordered them to alert the Dementors. They took off, leaving one to keep Fudge and Dumbledore protected during the standoff.

"Let him go!" Albus demanded.

Peter lowered his wand for a moment, only to bring out a dagger. Harry couldn't stop the whimper that escaped him when he felt it against his skin. "Professor."

"There's one passage that they bring defenses down on, just once every month. Can you guess which one it is, Harry?" Peter whispered.

Not sparing a minute to think about it, Harry glanced towards the Whomping Willow.

"Remus had such a hard transformation last month. You could hardly blame them for forgetting to put it back up."

Had he been watching them all this time? Lying in wait before he could strike? Harry briefly remembered his father telling him how exhausting that night had been for all of them. His desperation flared dramatically. He needed to escape. His family would blame themselves if he didn't.

"My plans were thrown off because of your little friend, but this will have to do," Peter tugged him toward the tree. "D-Dumbledore… you follow us and I'll kill him. I promise!"

"No!" Hagrid was with them now, and Peter had to pivot and take a few steps back so he could see them all. "Let him go!" Hagrid pleaded. "Please! He's done nothin to yeh!"

They inched closer and closer to the tree. Harry knew about the knot at the base, the one that would make it freeze. He wasn't sure how Peter thought he was going to get close enough to press it while holding him at the same time. Somehow, he managed it, with only a few whiplashes from the Willow's thin branches.

But Peter couldn't enter.

For Sirius was standing there in the tunnel entrance, a feral grin on his face.

"Hello, Wormtail."

Peter let go of Harry like he'd been burnt as he tripped over his feet to get away from the man. The dagger fell on the ground by Harry's shoes. "S-Sirius," he stuttered. "Just- just let me explain!"

"You see I was just coming back from setting up the shack for Moony, and imagine my surprise when I heard the ruckus out here!"

Peter was nearly crying now. "Si-Sirius!"

"How unfortunate for you, Peter," the man snarled. "James and Remus have been going out of their way to make sure it wasn't me you'd run into. They knew I'd make the suffering last for much longer than you'd be able to handle."

"Have mercy, Sirius!" Peter begged as he fell to his knees.

"Mercy?" he spat. "And what mercy were you bestowing upon my godson, you foul rat?!"

Sirius took his wand out and gripped it tightly.

"Don't you fret, Peter. I'll cast a silencing charm so you won't have to hear yourself scream."

"Ssnake!" Harry heard from Hagrid's direction. Sally was hissing wildly on the man's shoulders. "There's another ssnake! Near your uncle!"

"Sirius, watch out!" Harry screeched. Without hesitation, he bent down and grabbed the dagger near him, racing forward at the giant snake he could now see just behind Sirius.

It reared its head back and glared at him, ready to strike. Harry was sure he wouldn't make it out alive, when-

SWOOSH.

Neville stood there, the sword of Gryffindor in his hands and a beheaded snake lying limp in front of him. Remus was by his side, and so were James and Lily. Fudge was openly gaping at the enormous beast. "Where did that come from? What is this?! Another one of Hagrid's pets?"

But he got his answer when Peter began sniveling in fear about his Lord's "beloved Nagini."

"What was that, Peter?" Lily asked bitingly. "Voldemort's friend? I assume he sent that thing along to make sure you got the job done."

The look on Peter's face confirmed her remark.

"Where did you get that sword, my boy?" Dumbledore asked Neville.

He looked up, fearful that he was in trouble. "Fawkes dropped the Sorting Hat into my hands… it was just… there?"

Harry stared at his friend with utmost pride. Malfoy would never be able to tell Neville that he was in the wrong house ever again.

But their moment of relief was done and over when Peter charged forward and grabbed Harry once more. He wrenched the dagger out of the boy's hand and sliced him diagonally across his right arm.

Harry let out a cry of pain as his legs weakened and he felt himself fall. He cradled his arm against his chest, blood pouring so fast it was soaking his shirt Peter tugged on the stained cloth and tore it off with the help of his blade.

He fell to his side, Lily catching and holding him to her the moment she got to him. With a wave of her wand, the bleeding had stopped but her distracted mind had only scabbed the large wound over.

"This will have to do," they all heard Peter say, gripping the reddened cloth tightly in his hands. He glanced between it and the dagger, both still dripping with Harry's blood. "This will just have to do." And with that, he scurried into the tunnel.

Most of them ran to follow, but Lily's piercing scream stopped them.

"Look! LOOK!"

She pointed to something in the distance.

Dozens and dozens of Dementors were rolling over the hills like an oncoming storm.

Sirius stood rooted to his spot, paralyzed with fear. Remus was pulling on the man's arm, pleading for him to run into the tunnel with him, but he wasn't hearing a word of it. He tried pushing him forward, but all it accomplished was making Sirius fall to the ground. Seeing that running wasn't an option, Remus grabbed James and pulled him forward, both of them wands out and at the ready.

"There's too many," James whispered. "There's so many, Moony…"

"Don't! We can do this!"

Albus was standing next to them now, as well as Fudge.

"We can just order them back to their posts," the Minister said with confidence. "We-"

"They're out for blood, Cornelius," Albus stated. "There is no ordering them right now."

Fudge looked up at the Headmaster fearfully. "But I've never produced a corporeal Patronus! What do we do?!"

Lily, who was still on the ground with Harry, had pulled Sirius to her side as well. "It'll be all right," she told them both. "J-just stay here, I have to help the others."

"Mum!" Harry protested.

"Stay here with Sirius, baby. Keep each other safe!"

She stood and Harry went into a blind panic.

He couldn't let her get hurt. He couldn't let any of them get hurt. Sirius who was trembling in his spot, already affected by the creatures' presence… His parents and Remus, who were standing just feet away from them about to take on a full horde of Dementors… he needed to protect them, he needed to help. He couldn't lose any of them again…

He looked beyond his family and saw the Dementors closing in. As quickly as he could, he pulled is wand out of his pocket and raced forward, ignoring Sirius who seemed to snap out of his daze when he saw Harry diving head first into the swarm. He shoved Neville's arm away when his friend tried to stop him, and burst past his father and Remus, who tumbled forward but began running after him when they realized what was happening.

"Harry!"

The Dementors were only yards away now.

"Harry! Get back here!"

"Baby, no!"

He summoned every happy memory he ever had. Meeting his parents. Falling asleep in their arms. His first birthday with his family. Making friends. Finding Sally.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

They watched in awe as a silver stag emerged from Harry's wand and stood in front of him protectively. The Dementors slowed and the stag shot towards them, forcing them to flee as the Patronus gave chase. There was an eruption of white light, so strong and powerful that the hundreds of Dementors rushed away even faster before the sky calmed once more.

The silver stag trotted back to Harry, bowed, and then disappeared.

The boy looked back at his family in disbelief and saw they were just as stunned as him. His cut had reopened and blood was trickling down onto his wand.

"Harry…" James was staring at him in wonder.

"I just wanted to protect you," he explained quietly, like he was about to be scolded. "I'm sorry…"

"You're sorry?" James gawked. "That was… that was amazing. That was amazing, Harry."

Lily ran and tackled the boy into a hug, sobbing into his hair. "You great big idiot, what were you thinking?! Don't you ever do that to me again!"

"I just wanted to protect you," he repeated.

"James!" Remus snapped anxiously. "Look at him!"

Harry's knees were trembling and he looked like he was growing weaker and weaker. He was looking at Ron and Hermione, who were still unconscious. "Are they okay? Are they ali-"

"Harry?" He grabbed onto his mother's shoulders to hold himself up, the shock of everything that happened finally getting to him. "Harry? Harry!"

His eyes fluttered shut and he slumped against her with a groan.

"He's exhausted himself," Remus said, grabbing Harry's other side. "Come on! Let's get him inside!"

The cut Peter had left on him was fully healed and his blood had been replenished. Everyone was safe for now, and the night was calm and quiet.

Until the nightmare came.

Harry's voice went raw from screaming as he clawed at his scar. He was thrashing hard in his bed, James and Lily trying to pin him down.

"Harry!" James was shouting desperately. "Harry, wake up! Wake up!"

Ron, Hermione and Neville, who had used Harry's invisibility cloak to sneak out of Gryffindor Tower and to the Hospital Wing, were watching from a few feet away. It was the first time any of them were seeing Harry in the throws of a dream, and they had no idea how to help. Eventually, Hermione couldn't watch anymore, and turned to hide her face in Ron's shoulder. Neville, who too was becoming sick from the scene, hugged her back and held her tightly. "It'll be over soon," Ron told them with very little confidence. "He'll pull through."

"The Time-Turner," she stuttered out. "We could use the Time-Turner to stop all of this from happening."

"It's too late, Hermione," Neville whispered.

"It'll be over soon," Ron told them. "It's okay."

Not soon enough, Harry finally sucked in a deep breath and snapped up, his mother catching him by his shoulders. His eyes were wide open and he was panting so hard that every inhale he took made it look like his chest was going to burst.

"What was it?" Lily asked him. "What was it, baby?"

"Voldemort," he rasped out. "He's back… He's back."