Purple Rain.

Chapter Forty-Five.

"You guys doing homework... together?" Remus asked, opting to humour the situation as he leaned against the door frame and Mary led (Y/n) over to one of the unaccompanied couches to clean her cut.

"Yes," Hermione blurted.

"We don't even have the same homework," Fred began at the same time. Frantic looks were exchanged.

"Fine," Ginny huffed. "They're defence books that Hermione picked up for Harry— us to look through and..." she trailed off, realizing there was no way she would be able to say 'practice' without instantly ratting them out or without implying they were planning on doing underaged magic. "...study," Ginny finished lamely. Remus and Mary stared at each of the kids.

"I can't tell if you're lying about the books themselves," said Mary, "or if you're lying about not going through with those illegal defence classes.

"Neither," Hermione said at the same time (Y/n) said, "Both."

"What?" (Y/n) huffed at the betrayed looks (Y/n) was given. "I don't think one of our previous professors is going to advise against learning... Would you, Remus?"

"As long as you're aware of the consequences and acknowledge just how large they'll be," Remus said, "I see no problem in wanting to protect yourselves... What're the books, then?"

"(Y/n)'s mum's journals," Ginny answered. "They're her property in the first place, so what's the harm?" Remus hid his grimace.

"Those are your mum's?" Remus asked. (Y/n) nodded. "I thought it was just off-limits for underaged witches and wizards... That's what Dumbledore said." 

"They're journals? What's so important in them other than... the sentimental value or whatever?" George scoffed. Remus sighed heavily before pausing and listening for a moment. At length, he closed the door and looked at the kids and Mary. 

"First, how'd you coordinate so well?" Remus asked.

"We had no complications whatsoever," Hermione said. "Because he's the favourite, Harry got the journals from the attic— just as we originally guessed they were stored; Ginny and I were able to cause somewhat of a distraction by asking for help with getting the TV and VHS player to our room; Ron kept guard of Harry— though there wasn't much to do because they were all in the meeting with you; Fred and George were at the ready to stall anyone who wandered up too early, but we were able to give them the clear before any of that needed to happen... (Y/n) was keeping us updated with her Spyders and her fifteen-minute updates stopped entirely about ninety minutes ago."

"You're real strategic," Mary mused.

"Ron came up with most of it and the rest of us just improvised with what would fit," Hermione said gleefully. The two beamed at one another.

"What were you going to tell us about my mum?" (Y/n) asked instantly. A hesitant expression crossed Remus's face.

"I'm not sure if you've caught on... but your mum's time travelled," Remus said.

"I guess that's what James and Sirius said when they mentioned 'both of my mum's' being there on that night," (Y/n) mumbled. "Does that mean she's gone and saved someone?"

"Multiple people from what I've heard," Remus said. "I've all heard this second hand, but Marlene and Dorcas got an anonymous tip giving a fake location for a band of Death Eaters and... Marlene wasn't in her house the night her family was all murdered." Their eyes all widened and (Y/n) quickly pulled her hand away from Mary in order to grab the latest journal, which took a moment, before flipping through it for anything remotely similar to what Remus had mentioned.

"'Dear Diary, I've done it. I managed to save Marlene and soon, by extension, Dorcas,'" (Y/n) read. "'I don't think I'll be able to do what I've done again and I can only hope Dorcas will be smart enough to stay far away from her home otherwise I fear my work for both of them will be all for nothing. Two deaths prevented and I have prevented the torturing of Alice and Frank. I'm almost done with my checklist. I may even be able to prevent Sirius's time in Azkaban altogether if I play my cards right. If I don't, I might run into myself during this timeline and that would not be good for either of us. If worse comes to worst, I will be giving my journals to the me in this timeline. This may be the last time I sign off, Diary, but it's been nice. Love, (Y/m/n).'"
They stared expectantly at (Y/n) as though they were listening to her read an intriguing story— which, perhaps she was— and they were all at the edges of their seats to hear the next bit. As she was about to close the journal, there was a protest.

"Go on!" Fred exclaimed.

"Well, we know the rest, don't we?" (Y/n) said. "Dorcas and the Potters are here and I've gotten these journals... And now I'm terrified to read after that."

"I thought you wanted to know what happened to your mum," Hermione said.

"I do," (Y/n) murmured. "Fine!" she opened the journal again and murmured bits and pieces of the entry about saving the Potters. "Oh, here we go— 'I've run into a different version of myself. An older one. One who's told me that my friends all died in her timeline,'" (Y/n) read. "We've switched (Y/m/n)s... 'Because of how much she's done to this timeline, she can't return to her own— I feel bad for our daughter—  but, according to her, I will be able to continue the cycle of saving my friends and returning to my timeline. I'd be older, mind you, but age is but a mere sacrifice for the lives of others... Anyways, I reckon I'll have to start my own journey in saving people soon. But for now, I ought to tell you that they're fine. All of them. Harry's staying with his aunt just long enough for Lily and James to shift easily into the Muggle world; I've got no updates on the Longbottoms; Sirius is livid and he's blaming himself— I worry for him; Remus is safe at home watching (Y/n) whilst (Y/d/n)'s probably returned from work by now. Maybe I'll be able to save us all...'"

"So this one is your mum?" Hermione asked.

"They're both my mum," (Y/n) said. "But I believe that the entry I've just read is written by mum in this timeline... The next entry's about Sirius being instantly sent off to Azkaban and mum did all that she could, which hadn't been much considering she's not able to prove anything other than the last spell each wand cast— I still don't understand why they couldn't have used one of the Muggles' erased memoir to prove who really did the crime," (Y/n) said furiously.

"Crouch was on a power drive," Mary frowned. "No arguing with the man at that time... I reckon your mum could've brought it up again after Barty Jr. was sent to Azkaban, but that was about the time she went off-grid and the only time she'd be seen is for secretive Ministry business— I guess that it's time-travel-related now."

"What happened next? Why'd she go off-grid?" Ron asked.

"Let's see..." (Y/n) murmured. "The next entry is... on my second birthday, I believe... 'Dear Diary, I believe my memory's being tampered with. I have all these memories with these women that I've supposedly known my entire life... but I've never written about them in the way I've mentioned Lily, Marlene, James, that lot... I feel like everyone's in on something I'm not because no matter who I talk to, they all say that I've known them forever. I feel as though the Lovegoods are the only sane ones as of late. Pandora's got no memory of going to school with these ladies and as crazy as some might see her, Pandora is not a liar. Maybe I'm just looking too far into things. Maybe I found no need to mention all of the people I met. Maybe I'm losing it... (Y/n)'s birthday was today. Nobody stayed long other than to coo at my baby and give her a present. Remus stayed the longest. He's been real down ever since Sirius was whisked off to Azkaban. I wish I could help. I wish I could do something. I wish this world wasn't so messed up and that my daughter would have gotten to grow up with two friends. I'm scared I'll hurt her. I don't want to raise her in this world. (Y/d/n) and I have discussed staying with his family for a bit before solely shifting to the Muggle world— just like everyone else. I always run, don't I?'"

The room was entirely silent, waiting with bated breath for the next entry. Mary had even stopped cleaning (Y/n)'s cut in order to put her full focus on listening to the entires. (Y/n) teared up. As much as she didn't like being compared, she was so much like her mother and understood now where the comments came from. She cleared her throat.

"The next entry's way in the future," (Y/n) said, barely above a whisper. "One day before police turned up at my door." She took a deep breath and read the last entry. "'Dear Pandora, they're coming for me. I know it. I can't risk getting a final goodbye to my daughter or she'll be gone with us. I knew I wasn't crazy. I knew it. They were never who they said they were, just as we predicted. I'm not getting out of this one, Pandora.'"

"Who's 'they'?" Hermione asked. (Y/n) made the mistake of flipping to the next page, one that signed off as Pandora Lovegood. She caught one name and that was all it took for (Y/n) to slam the journal shut.

"Hide them," (Y/n) demanded. "The meeting's come to an end."