Belonging to Time

A Tale of Two Times

Snatched through time at birth, Harry becomes a time traveller. He discovers this at five when he meets his real parents, and goes to Hogwarts prepared... but he hadn't realised Voldemort had a spy in Hogwarts and was trying to steal a dangerous artefact.

Leaving Harry

1000: July

"Merlin, please, don't take him. Anything but Harry, please," a woman clung to a bundle of cloths which held her young child.

Merlin looked pained, and sighed, "I am sorry, my child, but your father and I made a deal, and the price of my deal is that I have your first born child."

"Please, can you at least tell me where he's going?" begged the woman, her green eyes shining.

"It cannot do any harm. My child, I am taking him to the future. He will be given to a young couple who had just had a stillbirth. This couple have been spelled to look like they were you and his father, and have been trained for it since birth, though they do not know it yet."

The woman looked as though her heart had been wrenched from her chest. Merlin tried to rationalise with her.

"What were you going to tell his father? You knew you couldn't keep him, and you never told him that you were pregnant. What would he do if he knew that he was a father?"

"He would be pleased," said the woman stubbornly.

Merlin looked at her in pity. "My child, you may be one of the greatest witches in history, but you are not to keep this child," said Merlin, and with that, took the baby from the arms of the weeping woman.

"Harry, say goodbye to your mother, we're going to meet your Mum and Dad. Lily and James Potter."

1980: July

Lily Potter sat with James, weeping into his arms. "How could he have been a stillbirth? James, what did I do wrong? I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, honey. You didn't do anything."

"I did!" she wailed, and burst into another round of tears.

"You didn't," said another voice. Lily and James whirled around. "It was your destiny."

"Who are you?" asked James, eyeing the old man warily.

The man looked at them, his blue eyes twinkling. "I am known as many things, but I believe you would know me as 'Merlin'." James's mouth dropped open in shock, and he shuffled around his pockets, finally pulling out a chocolate frog card. He held it up to Merlin's face in comparison.

"Oh, Merlin!"

"That's my name," he said brightly.

"That's not what I meant," James said. "It's Merlin!"

"What do you want with us?" sniffed Lily.

It was then that Merlin produced Harry. "I want you to look after him. His name is Harry," he thought for a moment, "Harry James Potter. Don't tell anyone of this, for you never know who may betray you," said Merlin.

Lily's jaw dropped, and she held out her arms. Merlin placed the sleeping baby in her arms, and she cradled him. "You're my son now, Harry. I know you probably miss your mummy, but don't worry, I'm here," she cooed.

James looked at Merlin, "Why us? I know he must be someone important, so why us?"

"You have been trained for it since birth, and your looks have been altered at birth to look exactly like his parents. It is your mission in life, if nothing else; you were born to raise this child. I saw it long ago in one of my visions, and I had to find a way to get him from his mother. I will tell you no more."

"Who were his parents?" asked Lily, sad that she was taking someone else's child, who they probably wanted.

"I cannot tell you," said Merlin, and he disappeared.

Lily and James just looked at each other, dumbfounded. All of a sudden, James went over to Harry, and kissed his forehead. "Welcome to the family, Harry," he smiled.