Hey my lovelies it's been a while. I decided that the other version was seriously fast paced and it didn't feel like something I wanted to keep writing. I'm really sorry if you liked the other version, I really am, but I couldn't take myself seriously writing it like that. This will be going slower, it might seem way too slow to you. I'm sorry. I seem to rewrite everything I do, honestly. Nobody edits or reads these before I post them however, which poses quite a problem.

Anyways, I promised you guys in the Author's Note on the other one that I wouldn't post that until I finished typing this, which I have. So here it is. DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything in this story except maybe a very loose plot that at this point is very frustrating. All of the credit for the characters goes to the amazing Queen: J.K Rowling.

Enjoy.

The Time-Travelling Lions

Chapter One:

~THIRD PERSON POV~

Danielle scowled at the book in front of her. "Nothing," she muttered. "Absolutely nothing!" she slammed the book shut with a glare.

Ron didn't look up as he said, "We didn't think we'd find anything in the first place."

Danielle turned her glare on him. "That doesn't need I didn't hope, Ronald."

Hermione sighed, looking over the edge of her book at both of them. "Danielle calm down, and Ron," Hermione sent him an exasperated look. "I'd hoped as well too, though the library is almost completely gone."

Danielle crossed her arms and leant back in her chair, tipping it onto two legs. "And the whole rest of the school, too."

Hermione frowned and closed her book, sliding it onto the table in front of her. "Maybe we could go check somewhere else?" it was half-hearted at best, since the Trio knew that going outside of Hogwarts would be signing their death warrants.

"It's not safe," Ron grumbled (it seemed like that was all he did these days).

"It's not safe here either, Ronald!" Hermione huffed, supporting the argument she didn't even really believe in anymore, and just wanting something to do other than defend the school borders and read books to find a spell that could help them.

Danielle shook her head, hair flying in her face, "But we know here."

"What do you mean? There isn't anything left to know." Hermione argued.

"We know what's left," Ron said, placing his book flat on the table.

"The fastest ways to where, the floors to avoid, what stairs actually work, the classrooms with supplies and traps; Hogwarts is the safest place for us right now. This is the safest it's been for us since Dumbledore died, Mya." Danielle added. "And the Death Eaters don't know the ruins like we do."

"We get by," a high voice cackled, causing the trio to stand up and spin around, wands in hand and pointed at the very large group of Death Eaters (it seemed like all of the ones who had gotten out of custody by feeling from the Battle of Hogwarts after Voldemort died).

There were maybe a dozen of the Death Eaters, and all of them were either laughing or sneering. Bellatrix and Greyback were in front, eyes alight in vicious glee. McNair, Nott Sr., Crabbe Sr., and Goyle Sr., were behind them, their wands pointing towards something behind them, where seven others stood. Greengrass Sr., Malfoy Sr., Nott Jr., Crabbe Jr., Goyle Jr., and Rabastan and Rodolphus Lestrange.

Greyback sneered at them, blood on his lips. "We lost a couple of our own, but it was worth it. We ran into the Gryffindor bitch and killed her very, very slowly."

Danielle, Ron, and Hermione exchanged a look. McGonagall was the only other person in the "castle".

"We aren't afraid of you," Hermione snapped, her grip on her wand increasing.

Lucius' expression turned into one of fake-concern. "Why ever not, Miss Granger? Are you feeling well?"

Ron glared at the blond, his expression twisting and darkening. He took a half-step closer to Hermione. "Don't even think about it, Malfoy." he spat.

Nott Jr. smirked, "Too late for that, Weasley; it's all Mudbloods like her are good for."

Danielle's eyes flashed dangerously, and the Death Eaters in the back shifted, remembering the feel of her fury. "I'm sorry, Nott, I didn't know we were talking about your whore Parkinson."

Nott Jr. snarled and made a move like he was going to curse her, but his eyes darted to Bellatrix and he just gave a cruel smirk and lowered his wand slightly.

"Enough talking," she shrieked, her eyes were wide and shining with malicious hatred. "Potter's mine," she hissed at the rest of them.

Danielle's grip on her wand increased as a body came into view, and she wished she could control her stomach.

Warning: (Maybe) Gore Ahead. If you can't read/stomach it, don'tread until you see more bolded words right after this one pargrapgh.

It was McGonagall. She was almost completely unrecognizable due to the horrors that the Death Eaters had inflicted upon her. Danielle's only hope was that they had killed the older woman before most of the terrors took place (the ravenette knew that death was usually not swift for those deeply ingrained in the Light side). The woman's throat was torn out – that explains the blood on Greyback, Danielle thought, sickened – and her right arm was barely holding on by a single half torn group of muscles. Her robes were sliced and only a small amount remained, showing off deep cuts in her stomach and remaining leg. Her left leg was completely gone, and blood dripped down from the stump to the floor. Her right eye was gorged out and the remaining left one was full of frozen pain.

Hey, the gore is over. You're allowed to go back to the regularly scheduled normal writing.

As it was, barely recognizable Transfiguration Professor or no, Hermione bit her lip and averted her gaze from the corpse, Ron growled and made a threatening move towards Greyback (he recognized the damage that the wolf had caused), and Danielle sucked in a breath and pointed her wand at Bellatrix singly.

The thirteen – an unlucky number – Death Eaters laughed at the faces of the three and sneered down at them with victorious "we've already won" looks plastered on their features.

Hermione's wand made a jerking movement, "Danielle get the Map," her voice was quiet and steady. Danielle stepped backwards, her wand still trained on the female Lestrange, and snatched up the Marauder's Map with the other (currently blank).

"Got it,"

The Death Eaters were watching in pitying amusement, a smirk curving Lucius' lips as he watched the proceedings. Nott Jr. had a look on his face like "they're going to die anyways; let's let them do this if only for our own amusement".

"Good," there was a tinge of smug pride in Hermione's voice, and it made Greyback pull back his upper lip and narrow his eyes. The other Death Eaters watched on in mocking concern. "Now, I have one last thing to say."

Greyback's fangs slid as he grinned in bloodthirsty anticipation, focused on Ron, ready to finish what he'd started at the Battle of Hogwarts.

Bellatrix cackled, her wand twitching as her eyes locked onto Danielle's.

Malfoy was sneering at Ron, and his eyes glinted as he fingered the snake head on the top of his cane (there was a poisoned knife hidden in there, and Mr. Weasley was dead because of it).

Nott Jr. was smirking at Hermione, licking his lips as his eyes darkened. (Deep disgust shone in Hermione's eyes as she glared back at him.)

Hermione took a deep breath, "Tempus est retrorsum!"

The smarter Death Eaters surged forwards in a desperate attempt to stop the three, Bellatrix and Malfoy at the lead. Greyback howled in rage as a golden light spun around the trio at an increasing speed, flying around and around and around them until they were blocked from sight completely.

In a matter of seconds, the three were gone.

Oo-oO

Danielle whirled around to look at Hermione. "What was that?" she cried.

Hermione looked a mixture of guilty and stubborn. "It was the only spell I could think of that would get us out."

The Marauder's Map crinkled in Danielle's hand as her fist curled around it. "A time spell? Where did it even send us?" Danielle's hand – the one without the wand in it – gestured to the area around them in a wide, circular motion.

"Ottery St. Catchpole," Ron answered for Hermione, "late at night."

Danielle's eyes automatically went to where the Burrow stood – it had been burnt down with Mrs. Weasley inside by the Death Eaters in a raid a month after her husband was killed – and the ravenette was surprised to see it standing.

The trio's eyes were drawn to three figures sneaking out of the house and over to Mr. Weasley's shed.

"I remember this," Ron mumbled, "it was the summer before Second Year."

The golden light wrapped around the trio again and suddenly they were standing by the Ford Angelina in the wooden, magically-expanded garage. Younger Ron was hissing something to the Twins with an almost furious expression on his face.

Danielle's eyes lingered on Fred. He looked young, carefree, untouched by war, and most importantly: alive. It had been a while since Danielle had seen Fred alive, and her heart ached at the reminder that he had died saving her life. The Killing Curse provided an instant death, free of charge.

"Listen," young Ron snapped, bringing Danielle back to the present. "I'll take all the blame if that's what you want. Stick to your end of the deal. Something's wrong at Danielle's house and I'm going to go get her out of there."

The Twins looked slightly awed and mildly shocked. (Danielle looked awed.)

The golden light spun its web around the three again.

They landed in a playground behind a school this time.

"I remember this," Hermione breathed.

Three kids were standing facing a wall and laughing. The teachers weren't paying attention and the other kids were too busy playing on the swings and the slides to care about the other kid who was cornered by the three likely bullies.

The Golden Trio was warped closer.

A younger Hermione was sitting with her back against the wall, a book in her hands (her knuckles were a pearly white against the natural brown of her hands.

"Know-it-All," one kid jeered.

"Beaver," another sneered.

"You're so lame," the last finished with a scoff and they all laughed.

"Why don't you put that unnatural brain of yours to use and do our homework, freak?" the kid tossed a workbook at her.

Danielle's eyes narrowed and Ron started forwards, only held back to Hermione, whose jaw was clenched.

The other two schoolyard bullies laughed and tossed their workbooks at her as well. "Do everyone a favor and shut your trap during class, loser. Even the teachers don't like you."

Young Hermione looked near tears as they walked away. Her chocolate brown eyes went down to the three workbooks and she started to cry, letting go of her book and burying her face in her hands as she shook against the wall.

Older Hermione looked vaguely uncomfortable as Danielle and Ron stared at her in horror. "I told you I was bullied as a kid," she tried to shrug off the look she was receiving from her boyfriend.

Danielle tried to respond but the light show started up again.

Ron and Hermione looked interested in what was about to happen.

Danielle looked distinctly uncomfortable/horrified as she realized what day it was and what the memory was about to show.

A smaller – though not much smaller, she hadn't really grown all her life – Danielle was sitting on a swing, slowly swinging back and forth as she watched the occasional person walk past with their dog or child. Younger Danielle's back was to the large group of boys behind her as they swaggered up, so she didn't see them. It didn't seem like she heard them either, since when Dudley yelled she tensed and her face went blank.

"Hey!" he yelled.

Younger Danielle didn't move.

Ron and Hermione were growing nervous.

"Hey freak!" Dudley yelled again. "We're talking to you!"

The young Danielle stayed absolutely still.

Dudley snapped. "Freak!" he roared and pushed Danielle off of the swing. "This is our park. No," he sneered, "freaks allowed."

Ron and Hermione sent the older Danielle worried glances.

Younger Danielle picked herself up and dusted herself off. She didn't say anything. She turned to walk out of the park but found herself blocked by Dudley and his gang. "Can I leave?"

Piers Polkiss smirked, "Not without your gift, Potter."

Young Danielle looked severely distrustful and doubtful. "Uh-huh," she said flatly.

Dudley grinned, slow and ugly. "You'd better believe it, freak."

Danielle took a step back, only to be grabbed by Johnny Jones.

Dudley swung his fist.

Young Danielle's head snapped to the side.

Hermione gasped in outrage and didn't bother restraining Ron since said redhead was frozen in place.

The golden light (slowly this time) wrapped around the three and deposited them in a room occupied by many others sitting around a table, with three very familiar people sitting at the middle of the table.

Danielle's hands were shaking. "Do you think the memories are done yet?" she asked Ron lightly, going for a joking tone.

He didn't respond, his jaw clenched and his eyes hard as he stared at the wall with clenched fists. Hermione was staring at Danielle with a scrutinizing look that made the ravenette squirm.

"Rude," she muttered and looked around, her eyes falling on the people at the table. "Oh hey there, Hermione, do you know where you sent us yet?"

Hermione looked away from Danielle and her eyes flew over the people at the table, the center three causing her to gasp. "Professors?" she asked in shock, mouth open and eyes wide. (It was honestly one of the only times Hermione didn't look perfectly put together. Danielle wished she could've taken a picture and started a new collection.)

Ron unfrosted slightly, "Tempus," he cast gruffly, moving his wand so the sparks that came out of the tip rested in the shape of clock's hands. 8:27 a.m., Friday, June 20th, 1977.

"Oh so it's just 1977, no biggie," Danielle sighed in relief.

"'No biggie'? Danielle, it is the year nineteen seventy-seven." Hermione said slowly, emphasizing the last sentence.

"Yeah, wasn't that just when Mu-" Danielle fell silent, her eyes wide in horror and sudden understanding. "Oh, oh no, that's a biggie."

"Would you care to explain who you are, what you want, and how you got here?" McGonagall's wand was out and pointed at the trio. (Danielle felt a sting of pain and betrayal before she remembered that they were now in 1977 not 1997 and so McGonagall didn't know them at all.) "And you, specifically," McGonagall gestured to Danielle with a sweep of her wand. "Why do you look like James Potter?"

Hermione looked unsure – another uncommon occurrence, seriously someone get a camera. "You see, Professor, um, well," she took the easy route, "I'm Hermione Granger."

Ron eyed the Professors he didn't know at the table warily, hand hovering over his wand that he'd stowed in his pocket. "Ron Weasley," he said gruffly.

"The name is Danielle," said ravenette looked dizzy and slightly drunk. "Danielle Potter is the name and Quidditch is the game." her gaze turned to McGonagall. "To answer your … questions: we want sleep and world peace 'n shit; and Hermione said some timey-wimey spell. Also, I look like James Potter because-"

"They're related," Hermione interjected, "and honestly, Danielle. Language and manners; how hard is it to remember that?"

Dumbledore smiled, "Ah, it is wonderful to meet you three. But I'm afraid that some things still aren't very clear."

Danielle snorted and muttered, "The great Albus Dumbledore not knowing something? Blasphemy," she stumbled on her feet, still unsteady.

Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "We aren't going to dust the cobwebs until we know we can trust everyone in this room."

A woman in a silver robe raised an eyebrow. "Interesting choice of words," she stood up. "I understand if the rest of this meeting must be postponed, Headmaster. I must take my leave, as I am well aware the girl doesn't include me in the 'trust room'."

Witches and wizards stood up and followed the first witch out, throwing glances over their shoulders. They were all whispering and Danielle knew that they were talking about what the trio could be doing there and who they really were.

Flitwick attempted to walk out, but Danielle stopped him and pointed to the table where the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress sat. "You stay,"

When the room was empty of all but those who the trio trusted, Danielle set the Map down on the table and sat down in front of it. Hermione and Ron followed suit and sat on Danielle's sides, Hermione on the left and Ron on the right.

"Now that we know 100% that we can trust everyone in this room and more importantly, at this table, let's get down to business." Danielle folded her hands in front of her, eyes completely serious, an expression rare on the daughter of James Potter. "As I said before, my name is Danielle Potter. What I didn't get to finish saying is that I look like James Potter because I am very closely related to him."

McGonagall's expression was one of distrust (James Potter was her favorite student, she needed some real proof). Flitwick didn't really look convinced either, but Dumbledore was merely smiling and nodding at Danielle to continue.

"My mother is Lily Evans,"

Now McGonagall looked closer to laughter while Flitwick was the one with narrowed eyes and a severely distrustful look on his face. "Prove it," the diminutive Charms Professor challenged.

"Familia abore," Hermione intoned, wand pointed at Danielle. Translation = family tree.

Lines spread out above Danielle's head, silvery threads connecting her to two other people directly above her. There was a picture of James Potter laughing, his head thrown back. James Charlus Potter, father of Danielle Lillian Potter and husband of Lily Marie Evans-Potter. Connected to him was a picture of Lily Evans-Potter, her smiling at someone out of the camera shot. Lily Marie Evans-Potter, mother to Danielle Lillian Potter and wife to James Charlus Potter. Directly above Danielle was a picture of her rolling her eyes at someone out of sight with the words: Danielle Lillian Potter, daughter of James and Lily Potter, born July 31st, 1980 proving her claims.

McGonagall's mouth closed as Flitwick and Dumbledore looked at the fading family tree with interest.

"And it has been proven," Danielle sniped.

Oo-oO

Ron looked around the room, surveying it for around the fifth time. The only (visible) people in the room were McGonagall (and it was good to see her in the land of the living), Dumbledore (good to see him out of a portrait), Flitwick (living, nice), Danielle, Hermione, and himself.

Dumbledore looked like he was in grandfather mode (he wasn't, he was in War Plans mode, Ron knew the difference). Flitwick looked interested in the spell that Hermione had cast on Danielle (Ron knew he was barely restraining himself from asking her all of the questions he had about it). McGonagall, however, was another story.

Her lips were thin lines and her eyes were a little worrying in their intensity, while her demeanor suggested "still disbelieving" and "wants more definite radical proof". (Also maybe a bit of "doesn't want to believe".)

"Now I'm pretty sure Hermione didn't mean for us to end up here." Danielle started talking after the long silence where everyone stared at the words above her head. "But we're going to have to do with it what we can."

Hermione looked guilty, "Especially since the spell is permanent," she whispered, eyes on the table.

I was hoping she wouldn't say that, Ron thought with a sigh as Danielle cursed loudly.

McGonagall's lips thinned even more. "And why should we believe you?" Danielle winced and straightened her spine, hiding her emotions from the Head of Gryffindor House. (Hermione bit her lip in worry.)

"You shouldn't trust us, by all means, throw us out to the Death Eaters," Ron said, slightly coldly. "After all, we're strangers in wartime. But at least hear us out."

Flitwick seemed to be taking the redheads words into consideration, while Dumbledore already looked sold (on the outside, on the inside he was probably listing the pros and cons about whether or not they should trust the three teenagers). McGonagall sighed.

"I think we could do that, Minerva; we wouldn't be hurting anything by listening to their stories." Dumbledore stated jovially, looking at his colleague. "After all, what do the Muggles say? Ah, yes, here it is: 'innocent until proven guilty'."

Oo-oO

Hermione felt nauseated. Casting a time spell was extremely difficult. Especially if said spell sent you back nearly 21 years in time, to the Seventh Year of your best friend's parent's school career.

Time spells were tricky and abstract. They were based a bit on the ideas of apparition, as you are teleporting yourself somewhere, but instead of it simply being to another place, it was to another time. The spell would send you back however many years it did depending on how much power you fed to the spell. (Time spells also had the added defect of causing the caster to experience any level of nausea and discomfort.)

The group of six had somehow gotten to the topic of how the Golden Trio had arrived in 1977. Hermione didn't know how they'd ended up talking about that, she hadn't been paying attention. (Danielle – thank god – left out the memory viewing, deeming it too private to mention.)

The three Professors looked quite a bit ill at the end of the story, Flitwick's face looking very close to the color green (Hermione thought that was a myth).

Dumbledore was frowning; running a hand up and down his beard – considerably shorter than it was in the future – and the twinkle in his eyes was extinguished. "The ending was worse than I had considered it would be."

"Probably because you didn't bother telling us about the damn Horcruxes until it was almost too late." Danielle muttered bitterly.

Hermione didn't even bother sending her a look of warning. She agreed wholeheartedly.

Dumbledore looked up, "Horcruxes?" he asked with interest.

Ron's eyes flickered over him briefly, and it seemed like he was about to answer, but then he closed his mouth and turned to Danielle slightly. "Would you care to take the floor?"

Danielle frowned at him slightly, but then she looked each of the professors in the eyes. "Tom Riddle had managed to create seven Horcruxes before I killed him." McGonagall's eyes narrowed, and Flitwick gasped. "Helga Hufflepuff's cup, Salazar Slytherin's locket, Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem," - "You found her missing diadem?!" - "The Gaunt Ring, his old 'diary', a snake named Nagini ... and myself."

Flitwick looked even more troubled than before, his momentary excitement extinguished (not fully, however). "A human being cannot be a Horcrux, it's simply impossible."

"Impossibility obviously didn't stop Voldemort." Danielle snapped. "He turned me into a Horcrux the day he killed my mother and father. The day I miraculously turned the Killing Curse back on him at fifteen months. The day his soul splintered from that and the smaller part fled into my scar - a curse scar, made from the Killing Curse - the Avada Kedavra."

-Oo-oO-

Aaand here's the first chapter of TTTL. (Not to be confused with TTYL.) Um, I want to apologize for the long wait – I have no excuse that you would like to hear. I first wrote the rough version of this chapter in my notebook.

It took a while (school is picking up speed) and I had the audacity to write it in pen. Pen! Do you know how dangerous that is? (So dangerous.) (I too like to live dangerously.)

Anyways, I hope you all liked the chapter and I will (hopefully) be uploading the next chapter soon, on an actual schedule. You'll be getting this story as it is written and I hate forcing the words out, so there might be breaks in between that you don't particularly like. The pace in this will also be slower than the 300 mph it was before too! ::::)

Don't worry.

(Don't forget to review if you feel like it! Criticism is advised! Por favor, amigos/amigas.)

TheFourEyedWonder

(iloveyou!3)