Saving Their Lives

Harry apparated straight to the Burrow. He needed to speak with Molly and Arthur Weasley before he returned to the present. He knew that he had to be careful with all that he revealed, but this was one thing that needed to be said. Fred Weasley had been a brother to him, and the Weasley family had been kind and loyal to him when nobody else was. He needed to warn them about what would happen on the night he defeated Voldemort.

He stood outside of the crooked house and smiled. Something’s never changed. The house looked as bad in the past as it did in the future, but to Harry it still cried “home” every time that he saw it. He stepped up to the front door and knocked.

“Yes, can I help you?” a very pregnant Molly Weasley asked suspiciously. She was holding a baby in her arms that he was pretty sure was Ron.

“Hi. My name is Harry, and I was wondering if I could speak with you and Arthur for a moment. It is rather important.”

Molly looked at the young man for a moment and then said, “Just one moment please, while I go and get my husband,” and she closed the door in his face.

Harry grinned. She knew how protective she was of her children and family. He stood there looking out into the dark night. It was peaceful here, only the sounds of crickets could be heard and the distant sound of the wind rustling through the trees. The night air was cool, but Harry had prepared for it and dressed warmly. He reached his hand into his pocket and fingered the photo that he held. It was of Christmas when he and Ron were in sixth year. It showed all of the Weasley family and Harry as they sat in the living room of the Burrow. Remus had taken the picture.

Harry had tried to exclude himself from the picture, but everyone had shouted at him stating that he was part of the family and to get in the damn picture and smile. Harry smiled remembering that night. It was one of the memories of his past that he truly treasured.

“Can I help you, young man?” Arthur asked stepping out onto the porch and closing the door behind him.

“Could Mrs. Weasley join us? I would like to say what I need to say only once,” Harry said with a slight frown.

“She’ll be here in a moment. She is putting the baby down for a nap. Molly said your name is Harry?” he asked.

“Yes sir,” he said not offering anymore.

“You look familiar to me, have we met?”

“Not yet, sir,” he said grinning.

Just then Molly opened the door and stepped outside. She had wrapped herself in a large warm robe and clutched it around her ample body. “Who are you?” she demanded.

“My name is Harry. Harry Potter. I’ve come to you from the future,” he said.

Both Molly and Arthur gasped. “James and Lilly Potter’s son?” Molly demanded.

Harry nodded.

“But how did you get here?” she demanded not really believing him.

“You used a time turner, didn’t you, boy?” Arthur demanded.

Harry smiled. “Yes, I did.”

“What is a time turner?” Molly asked.

“They’ve just passed them in the Ministry, dear. It’s a device that allows one to travel through time. Very handy device, I would suspect. So everyone uses them in the future then?” he asked curiously.

“No, their restricted. The Ministry worries about people coming back in time to change things. It’s really hard to get one.”

“How did a teenager manage to obtain one then?” Arthur asked.

“I stole it,” he said honestly.

“What!” Molly shrieked. “You stole a time turner from the Ministry of Magic?” she exclaimed. She did not approve of stealing at all.

“Stealing is a very serious offense, young man, especially from the Ministry. You are aware that I work for them?”

“Yes, in the Muggle artifacts department,” Harry said. “But I didn’t steal if from the Ministry, I stole it from a fellow student at Hogwarts.”

“Muggle artifacts? I work as an assistant to the Director of Muggle Liaisons.”

“Oh, well in the future you work for the other department. I needed to warn you guys of something that will happen later,” he said seriously.

“Wait!” Arthur exclaimed. “How do we know that your telling us the truth about whom you are?” he demanded. “For all we know you could be a deatheater.”

Harry smirked at this. “I can assure you, I am no death eater. Voldemort is dead and gone in my world,” he said.

Both Weasley’s gasped at the use of the Dark Lord’s name. Harry could see the fear that his name raised. “Do you have any vertiserum?” he asked.

Both shook their heads no. Harry had suspected as much. He assumed that as his mother was a natural at potions and his parents had been Aurors that they would have it, but the Weasley’s did not brew potions, nor could they afford to buy those types. “I have this,” he said holding out the holiday picture.

Molly took it and using her wand said, “Lumos!” and a bright light glowed from the end of her wand. She looked down at the picture, gasped and then dropped it to the ground. Her startled eyes went straight to Harry. “Is this real?” she demanded.

“Remus Lupin took the picture a year ago.”

“What is it?” Arthur asked reaching down to pick up the photo. He studied it for a moment and smiled at Molly. Look’s like we’re to have a daughter, Molly.”

“Oh dear god!” Molly said sitting down on the bench outside of the living room window. “How can this be?”

“In the future, my parents are dead. Ron is my best friend, and Ginny and I are dating. Ginny is your daughter, by the way. There was a war and Voldemort was defeated, but your family paid a price. You have been like my parents for the past seven years, and this is my way of repaying you. In the night of the final battle, Fred dies.”

Both of them gasped and turned white. “No!” Molly shouted. “It’s not true!”

Arthur supported his shaking wife and looked at Harry. “I hope that you are not making this up,” he growled.

“I swear to you, on my very soul, that what I am telling you is the truth. My parents will die in three days time if certain events don’t change. In the future, you are my family. If I can stop a deatheater from killing Fred, I will do what I can to make this happen!” he passionately cried.

“What about the rest of my family?” Molly whispers. “What happens to them?”

Harry shrugged. “I can’t tell you anymore except that they all live, except for Fred. Keep him close to you during the battle and he won’t be where he would have been when he died. I am afraid to warn you of too much and change things to badly. Everyone else will be safe with a few bumps and bruises and such.”

Molly stared at the young man in front of her. “You say that you are Ron’s best friend and that you date my daughter? Do you marry her?”

Harry blushed. “Right now I am at the end of my seventh year and Ginny is at the end of her sixth. We’re to young for marriage right now.”

“How do we come to take you in, Harry? Your parents and I are not close enough for them to leave you to us,” Molly said.

Harry smiled. “I met Ron on the first day of school and he befriended me. I lived with my Aunt and Uncle and it was not a happy home. You sort of adopted me as a surrogate son.”

Molly smiled. That sounded like something that they would do. “Thank you for coming to us, Harry.”

Arthur cleared his throat. He wasn’t sure how to feel about what the boy had revealed but he felt indebted to him. “I don’t know what we can do to thank you,” he said with tears in his eyes. The thought of loosing a son was more than he could imagine.

“I didn’t come and warn you to be rewarded. I told you to thank you for all that you have already done for me. Fred and George stood by me when nobody else did. They have been my true friends and if I could stop Fred’s death, I would gladly do so.”

It warmed Molly’s heart to think about her son’s in the future. She had her doubts about the little pranksters even making it to their majority. They were constantly in trouble and up to mischief. “Do they finally act like mature Wizards, then?” she said with a smile, only half joking.

Harry grinned. “You never thought so in the future. They drove you crazy every chance they could.”

“What?” Molly exclaimed.

“Don’t worry, they never hurt anyone on purpose,” he smiled.

“Oh god’s!” she moaned.

“I need to go now. Please don’t tell anyone that I was here. It could change things in the future and we don’t know to what extent that would happen. I just needed to warn you about Fred.”

Arthur nodded. “We will never speak of this to anyone else, I give you my word as a Wizard,” he said. A flash of light flew from his wand and Harry nodded.

“I give you my word as a Witch, that I will never mention this conversation to anyone besides my husband,” Molly said. A light flashed from her wand as well.

“You didn’t need to give an oath, I trusted you. In the future, you two are the most honorable people I know. Remus Lupin and Sirius Black are the only other two people who I would trust with my darkest secrets. I will say this to you, be careful whom you give your trust to. Sometimes everyone is not exactly who they seem to be.”

“What?” Molly demanded but it was to late. He was gone. “Oh Arthur!” she cried to her husband.

“I know, dear.”



Lilly paced back and forth in the living room, wringing her hands and muttering to herself. She was terrified and wanted to leave the house immediately, but James had wanted to get Sirius and Remus as added protection. She couldn’t stand being alone in the house now. She felt the walls closing around her and any creak or groan of the old cottage had shivers of fear running down her spine. James had already been gone for a couple hours and she could barely stand the tension any longer.

Her son was so handsome. He looked exactly like his father; only he had her shining green eyes. He had the horrid scar on his forehead, but if they were successful, it would no longer be there. She had a funny little quirky smile that reminded her in a way of her father. It had been several years since he died and her heart still ached for him.

She thought of him growing up with Petunia and Vernon. There were no two more sour individuals than they. She had loved her older sister when they were young, but Petunia could not get over the fact that Lilly had gone off to Hogwarts and left her behind. She couldn’t stand that Lilly was a witch, but she couldn’t stand that she was not one more. The man that she had married was vile and opinionated. He continued to call her and James freaks and when Harry had been born he had sneered that another freak had been created. She wished that she had asked Harry how her nephew had turned out. She figured that with Vernon and Petunia as parents he would be spoiled rotten. She wondered if they had had any other children.

She heard Harry crying up stairs and turned towards the stairway to get him. His small body was a comfort to her and in the couple of hours that James had been gone she had stood over his crib several times watching as he slept. He was so beautiful, so innocent. He looked just like an angel. He had such a funny little personality. He was so lively and happy, always smiling and into mischief. He was her heart and she was going to make sure that he didn’t grow up again without a mother.

Walking into the room she smiled as he stood in his crib impatiently calling her name in his cute baby voice. “Mum mum mum!” he cried when he saw her.

“Hello, love! How’s my big boy?” she crooned.

“Mama!” he shouted again wrapping his small arms around her neck as she lifted him out of his bed.

“Yes, mama is here, baby. Are you hungry?”

“Eat!” he shouted.

Just then Lilly heard a crash downstairs. Her heart suddenly stopped in her chest and she felt fear creep up her spine. She was terrified of what was down there and decided not to wait around to see what it was. She pulled Harry tight to her chest and apparated away into the black, cold night.


James and Sirius entered the front door and he immediately tripped over one of Harry’s toy trains. He crashed into a wing back chair and sent it flying across the room. “Shit!” he muttered. He stood gingerly and tested his knee that had landed straight onto the wooden toy. Deciding it was fine he picked up the toy while Sirius righted the chair.

“Nice one, klutz!” Sirius joked.

“Shut up,” he grumbled.

“We both know your name was never, Grace!” Sirius laughed.

“You know what, Black, you are a pain in the arse!”

“Yeah, but that’s why you love me,” he said with a grin.

James chose to ignore him and walked around the corner to peak his head into the kitchen. “Lilly must be upstairs. I’ll be right back,” he said starting up the stairs.

Sirius plopped down into the chair he had righted and crossed his hands over his chest and closed his eyes. It had been a long day and he had been about ready for bed when James had shown up requesting help and telling him the amazing story of how an adult Harry had shown up to tell them that Peter had betrayed them and that their lives were in danger. He had been skeptical at first, but then the more that James had told him the more he believed. Especially the part about Rabastan and Kreacher. He knew that his brother had been nice to the old elf and he had idolized his younger brother.

“Sirius!” James shouted running down the stairs. “She’s gone! Harry’s gone! They’re both gone!” he yelled in a panic.

“Where did they go?” Sirius demanded.

“I don’t know. There isn’t any note! They just disappeared!” he cried.

“Calm down! Maybe she heard something and was frightened away. Where would she go if she left here?”

“Before, I would have said Hogwarts, but Harry warned us to trust nobody except you, Remus, and the Weasley family.”

“Would she have gone to my apartment looking for you?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe. Let’s try there,” he said, his voice laced with fear.

A moment later the two of the apparated back to Sirius’ apartment.


“Master, please, I know where they are! I am their secret keeper!” Peter Pettigrew cried as Voldemort shot him with another cruciatus curse.

Voldemort stopped and looked down at the pitiful little man on the floor groveling at his feet. He had only let him join his ranks because he was in the Order of the Phoenix and he was able to bring him information that his other followers had not been able to get. When Severus had told him of the prophecy regarding the Potter baby he had immediately wanted to kill them, but they were unable to be located. He had pressed hard on every one of his followers trying to figure out who their secret keeper was, only to find out it was one of his own members. “Why are you just now telling me this information, Wormtail?” he asked in a silky voice.

He hovered on the ground with his hands thrown protectively over his face. “I was afraid that James would find out that I have told and kill me, My Lord,” he cried.

“You fear James Potter more than you fear me, is that right, Wormtail?” he asked in a sardonic voice.

“No master!” he cried, “You are my true master!” he groveled no bothering to lift his head.

“I see,” Voldemort said thoughtfully. “And my dear Wormtail, you will now tell me, is that right?”

“Yes master! They are in Godric’s Hollow, my lord!” he said.

Voldemort smiled. Leave it to Potter to take his small family back to the home of his ancestors. “We shall go immediately and take care of the little problem that resides there,” he said.

“My Lord,” Lucius said silkily. “We have guests. Shall I return them to the dungeons for your later enjoyment?” he asked.

Voldemort turned and looked at Lucius. He was a slippery git, but he was useful, as it was the bottomless Malfoy coffers, which supplied him with the money to finance his war. He looked at the three naked Muggle women writhing on the floor in fear. He felt himself harden at the thought of their torture. “No, we will finish with them first, the Potter’s can wait for tomorrow.”

“Wouldn’t it be ironic, My Lord,” Lucius said, “If we were to dispose of the little problem on Halloween? The night where all the dead return for the evening. Perhaps it would be fitting to take them that evening.”

Voldemort did not like being told what to do, even in the backhanded manner that Lucius sometimes employed, however, the idea did intrigue him. He had also killed his filthy Muggle father on Halloween night. The idea had merit and he nodded his consent. “Very wise idea, Lucius. You will go with Wormtail and make sure that there is no escape for them. I will enter the house and take care of the little beast.”

Lucius nodded. “Thank you, My Lord,” he said bowing and moving back away from him. His wife had planned a dinner for the next night and he did not want to upset her by not being there. This way he could attend Narcissa’s event and still be available for his Lord.

“Now for our entertainment,” Voldemort hissed. He pointed his wand at the closest woman and said, “Imperius!” She immediately stopped moving and looked up to him. “Suck my cock, you whore!” he hissed.

Lilly appeared before Sirius’ apartment complex and raced for the door, clutching Harry tightly against her breast under her robe. She pulled her hood down tightly and tried to keep her face averted. She didn’t want anyone to recognize her, especially now since she knew that Voldemort really did plan on coming after Harry. She mounted the step and at the top of the landing pounded on the door of #5. She waited a moment and pounded again. They had to be there. This is where James he was going and she had no idea where else to look for him at. There was no way that she was going to return to their little cottage in Godric’s Hollow.

With a small cry she slowly walked back down the stairs. She didn’t know where else to go. She thought about going to see Remus, but it was a full moon out and she knew he wouldn’t be available to visitors. Usually if there was a problem she would go to Dumbledore, or even to Petunia, but after what Harry had told her she was afraid to go to either. She thought about going to the Leaky Cauldron and getting a room for the night, but then decided against it. She didn’t think being in a public place was a good idea.

She stood shivering on the front steps of the apartment complex for a moment and then smiled. She concentrated for a moment and then waited. A few minutes later the Knight Bus appeared. It barreled to a stop in front of her and she quickly climbed aboard.

“Where to, mum?” the driver asked.

“Take me to the Weasley’s home, please,” she said. Harry told her that Molly and Arthur Weasley had treated them like a son and could be trusted. She had nowhere else to go that she knew that they would be safe so she decided to follow his advice. She hoped that his advice was sound.

“To the Burrow it is, mum,” he said and slammed the bus into gear. Lilly barely had a chance to sit down on the edge of one of the beds before the bus raced away into the night.

Harry stirred in her robes and she pulled him free. She felt bad because she had raced from the house with no nappies or other supplies for him. She knew that Molly and Arthur had several children and she hoped that they could scrounge up something for her baby as well. She planed to tell them the entire story that Harry told and ask Arthur to be their secret keeper. They were acquaintances from the order, but they were not really friends, so nobody would suspect that a Weasley would be a secret keeper to the Potter family.

She bent her head and kissed her son’s forehead, remembering the scar that he now had. She felt a tear drip from her cheek to the top of his dark head. She brushed it away and smiled. “You’re such a good baby, darling,” she whispered.

“Da?” he asked.

“I don’t know where your daddy is, darling. He’ll find us soon though, I’m sure of it.”

Harry layed his head back against his mother’s chest and closed his eyes again. He clutched her red locks in his tiny fist and fell asleep never knowing the danger that his mother was trying to save him from.

Less than half an hour later the bus came to a crashing halt. The driver yelled, “The Burrow!” and slammed the door open.

Lilly stood and looked out at a dilapidated home that looked as if the wind would blow it over. “This is the Weasley’s home?” she asked the driver.

“Arthur and Molly Weasley,” he said.

Lilly nodded, thanked the driver and stepped off onto the dirt path that went to the back door. No sooner had she stepped away than the bus flew away out of sight. “Hopefully their home,” she thought to herself.

She slowly walked to the door, wondering to herself if this was a good idea. She swallowed and took a deep breath. She had to believe in what her son had told her. He never would have sent them to an unsafe place. He must have at least believed that they would be safe and welcome here for him to have said it. He could not have lied under the vertiserum.

She stepped up three steps and could hear loud noisy voices from inside. She heard the sound of laughter and children racing from room to room. She heard the sounds of a frazzled parent yelling at her children and she smiled. She reached her hand up to knock when the door flew open.

“Lilly Potter! We heard the Knight Bus stop! Come in, come in! What brings you way out her?” Arthur asked jovially. He never would have expected to see the young witch show up unexpectedly at his doorstep.

“It’s a long story,” she said with a feint smile. “I was told that you were the most honorable wizard ever,” she said.

Arthur looked at her with a stunned expression on his face. “That’s a hard mark to beat,” he said. “Come in and we’ll discuss it.”

“Have you ever heard of a time turner, Arthur?” she unexpectedly asked.

“Sure, the Minister has just approved them. I’m sure they’ll be the thing of the future,” he said. He hoped that this wasn’t leading where he thought it was.

“My son, Harry, came to me from the future. He said that we are to die in three days and that you and Molly are like a mother and father to him.”

Arthur looked at the witch stunned. He wasn’t sure what to say but he ushered her inside and into the living room where Charlie, Bill, Fred and George were racing around the room chasing each other. Molly sat in a rocking chair rocking a baby about Harry’s age. She smiled in greeting. “Hello, Lilly!”

“Molly, I am so sorry to intrude, but I had nowhere else to go.”

Molly and her husband shared silent looks and with a brief nod she stood. Her belly protruded with another pregnancy, her last, if Harry was to be believed. “Alright, boys, it’s bed time. Upstairs with the lot of you!” she yelled.

The boys all moaned and groaned but in the end listened to their mother. “Where’s Percy?” she asked her oldest son, Bill.

“He’s upstairs, reading,” he said in disgust.

Molly shook her head. “That one always has his head buried in a book,” she said with a smile. “I’ll be right back.”

Lilly smiled and sat down on the now vacant couch. She looked at Arthur and said, “You don’t believe me, do you?”

Arthur thought for a moment and then sat down next to her. “It’s not that I don’t believe you, it’s just an extraordinary story,” he said. He already knew that she was telling the truth but he could never reveal their conversation with Harry to her.

“I wouldn’t have believed it either. Harry made me give him vertiserum and then handed me a parchment full of questions to ask him. He told me to trust only you and Molly, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin.”

“Well Sirius and Remus make sense as they are James’ best friends. What about Peter?” he asked.

“Apparently, Peter betrays us to Voldemort.”

“What?” Arthur gasped.

“He was seduced by the power. Harry said that in the future you and Molly treat him as a son. He said that his best mate is Ron, who is in love with a girl that is the brightest witch in the school.”

Arthur shook his head. “Ron’s just a baby,” he said with a smile. “It’s hard to think of him in love.” Harry hadn’t told them that bit.

“I would have no reason to make this up. Your family and mine are barely friends. We know each other from the Order, but you are both older than James and I. We have never associated with each other socially, nor do we have any common friends. If I were to make up such a story why would I bring it to you, somebody that I barely know?” she asked.

Arthur nodded his head. He had to agree with her. “Have you talked to Dumbledore?”

Lilly shook her head. “Harry told me that I should only trust those who he named. He said some disturbing things about the headmaster,” she said.

Arthur was surprised. He knew that the Potter’s were strong supporters of the light, and of Dumbledore himself. For her to have turned from him in her time of need it must have been something serious. Harry had also told them to be careful who they put their trust in that all was not what it seemed. “Where is James?” he asked.

“I don’t know.”

Molly entered the room again and waddled to her rocking chair. “Now, dear, tell us what is going on,” she said with an expectant smile.

Lilly took a deep breath and started from the beginning. She told them of all that Harry had said and what had happened when she ran from her home. “And that is why I came here,” she said softly.

Molly stood up and walked to the couch, sitting down next to the young witch. “You and your son are welcome, dear. I believe you,” she said.

Lilly sighed in relief. “I know it is a crazy story, but it is the truth.”

“There would be no reason for you to lie. We could administer vertiserum to you easily enough to see if you were telling the truth. Can I hold him?” she asked looking at the sleeping baby. It was strange to see the sleeping baby that less than an hour ago had stood on her front steps as a grown wizard.

Lilly smiled and handed her son to the woman. “Harry loved you, he spoke of you and Arthur with such love and affection. He trusted you.”

Molly smiled. “So in the future, you are my son,” she whispered to the sleeping baby.

“He asked that we change our will leaving him to you and Arthur if something happens to us.”

Arthur smiled at the young mother. “It would be an honor to raise your son, Lilly Potter.”

“What’s one more son?” Molly asked with a laugh, patting her round belly. “Did he happen to tell you what this last one is?” She already knew but was just trying to make conversation.

Lilly laughed. “He didn’t say, only that you have seven children.”

Molly grinned. “It must be a girl then,” she said with a huge grin.

“Why do you think that?”

“Because we agreed to keep trying until we either had a girl or reached an even dozen!”

Lilly tried to keep the stunned look off her face. A dozen children? Were they insane? “I see,” she said diplomatically.

Arthur laughed. “We love children. I must say though, I am happy to finally have a daughter. We were starting to run out of room!”

“Harry made us promise to put it into writing where we wanted him to live. In the future Sirius is sent to Azkaban for killing Peter and he is sent to live with my sister. I am ashamed to say that she and her husband don’t treat him well. He said that if we made it clear that we want him raised by you that nobody could do anything about it.”

Arthur nodded. “Make sure that you will is filed at both Gringotts and the Ministry. Sometimes things have a way of disappearing.”

Lilly nodded her head and yawned. It had been a long night and she was exhausted. She leaned her head back against the couch and almost immediately fell asleep. Molly stared at her in sympathy. “Poor dear! She is completely tuckered out,” she said softly.

“Now what?” Arthur asked.

“We do what we can to help them. He warned us about our son, the least we can do is try and save his parents.”


A/N: Alright, what do you think? Review Review Review!!