When Teddy Lupin asks the Room of Requirement for a place to hide, he definitely doesn't expect it to send him back in time. But, of course, it does; to the year 1995, to be exact. Teddy finds that the past is a whole lot more dangerous than the future, and it doesn't help that, on top of everything else, he's falling in love with his future-godfather's future-wife, his parents are nothing like he expected, and he's landed himself smack-bang in the middle of a war. Just how is Teddy going to keep his mouth shut about the future, as well as finding a way back home before something (or everything) goes terribly wrong?

Teddy woke with a killer headache. Of course, it was probably the side effect of that Firewhiskey he and Mitchell had drunk last night, but still - he didn't deserve this. Not on the first day of term.

Rolling out of bed and onto the cold flagstones below, Teddy groaned, dragging himself upright. He splashed some water on his face from the jug beside his bed, then stumped into the bathroom, annoyed to see that Mitchell and the other guys were still sleeping peacefully. What he wouldn't give to be in their shoes, but Teddy had always been an early riser. A little hangover couldn't change that.

Teddy squinted at the clock on the bathroom wall. Five forty-three. Damn it.

Stripping off his pyjamas, Teddy blindly turned on the hot water in the shower and stepped underneath the head, shivering slightly as the temperature adjusted. He ran his hands through his hair, mussing it up nicely then smoothing it back down again. He was not looking forward to this morning. According to his timetable, he had double Arithmancy and double Herbology, both of which he hated. Not that the teachers were terrible, but Teddy couldn't like or succeed in those subjects if his life depended on it.

Sighing, Teddy shut off the shower and grabbed a towel, wrapping it firmly around his waist before heading back into the dorm - he'd forgotten to bring a change of clothes in to the bathroom with him. He was always doing that. Thankfully, his roommates were all still asleep, and Teddy was able to grab a fresh set of robes without any complications.

A few minutes later, barely dressed with his tie knotted on an angle and sleep still clouding his eyes, Teddy stumbled out the dorm and down the cosy, candlelit passageway that led to the Hufflepuff common room. Once there, he took the time to stare proudly at the statues the lined the back wall. There were about a dozen of them, each life-size and bearing a plaque stating the person they depicted. Teddy's gaze was always drawn to the model on the far left, however, and today he wandered over slowly, drinking in the sight of the marble woman standing before him, winking rather cheekily. Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin the inscription read, and Teddy's heart gave a small flip. The feeling of his mother standing before him, albeit a lifeless piece of stone, always managed to startle and comfort him at the same time.

After a long moment of staring into her face, Teddy screwed up his nose and felt his brow shrinking, his eyes widening, his chin tapering. Glancing into the mirror above the fireplace, Teddy looked at himself and saw the spitting image of his mum. Swallowing heavily, Teddy shook away the transformation and reverted back to his normal appearance. He turned and made his way towards the tunnel-like exit of the room, where he hesitated, screwed up his nose again and felt as his hair turned the brightest shade of bubblegum pink. Smiling slightly, Teddy crawled along the passage, emerged from the other side and headed toward the Great Hall.

Once inside, Teddy wasn't surprised to find himself alone. Even the teachers were all still asleep. Rubbing his temples, trying to soothe his headache, Teddy sat down at the Hufflepuff table and grabbed a small slice of toast from the piled platter before him. He wondered absently if he should even eat when he was feeling as ill as this, and a bite later told him that he definitely shouldn't. He pushed away his plate and stared up at the enchanted ceiling, which today was imitating the bright, cloudless blue of a summer sky. The cheering sight didn't do anything for Teddy's headache, however; in fact, the brightness of the place seemed to make it worse. Groaning, Teddy stood and wandered away into the Entrance Hall, thinking about how to kill time without getting into major trouble from McGonagall. A small thought in the back of his mind told him to head up to the Owlery, and his feet seemed to agree, almost moving of their own accord. Teddy didn't really pay any attention to where he was going, and so it was with unfocused eyes and a confused smile that he noticed he wasn't alone any more.

"Well, well. Lupin. Out for a little walk in the moonlight, are we?"

Teddy's hands balled into fists as he resisted the urge to punch the Slytherin. "Your observational skills are as astute as ever, Flint. But, you know, I'm afraid I'm going to have to correct you. It's actually morning; that's what we call it when the sun rises, and so forth."

Flint smirked, unperturbed. "My mistake, then. You're just like your father."

At this Teddy swallowed. What did he mean? "What do you know about my dad?"

"I know he was a filthy mudblood and a filthy half-breed, and I wouldn't be surprised if you are, too."

Teddy took a deep breath and released it. Calm down, he told himself. Don't rise. "For your information, Flint, my dad was a half-blood, not a Muggleborn. And if I were a werewolf, too, I'd have ripped your throat out by now, a million times over."

At this Flint laughed; a high-pitched squeal that made Teddy's headache spike to a whole new level of pain. "I'd like to see you try, Lupin. Just like your dad did."

A cold feeling washed over Teddy. "Pardon?"

Flint took his time in answering, flexing his hands and examining his nails. "Just like your dad tried, Lupin. Just like he tried to protect your mother. But he failed…obviously."

"I- you're lying." Some other being had taken over Teddy's mind, something scarlet and fierce and awash with white-hot anger. He couldn't think straight. Surely, surely Flint wouldn't sink as low as to- as to-

"It's a pity they didn't kill you, too. Would've mopped up a whole lot of half-breed filth infesting Hogwarts…but I suppose there's no use dwelling on the past. You parents are dead, you know, rotting in their graves as we spea-" Teddy's fist rammed into the side of Flint's head, and suddenly all he could see was blood. It splattered into his eyes, his nose, his mouth, and for a long, terrifying minute he couldn't breathe. Teddy fell to his knees, retching, wiping his eyes furiously and praying that he didn't just lose it, didn't just sock Flint with more force than he'd ever hit anything in his life-

But when Teddy looked to the right, what he saw sickened him. Flint lay on a skewed angle, the side of his head and his hair matted with blood. He wasn't moving.

Oh God. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Teddy stumbled to his feet, jerking away from the scene of the crime- because it was a crime, for surely Flint was dead, or dying, just because he, Teddy, had lost his temper over some stupid childish insult-

Teddy heard footsteps approaching. Heart in his mouth, he turned and sprinted away, up the stairs, up and up and up until he reached the seventh floor. Without really paying attention, Teddy turned left and found himself staring at a tapestry depicting trolls learning ballet-

Teddy paused, as if he had been spinning and spinning up until this moment and had suddenly ground to a halt. Trolls doing the ballet…where had he heard that before?

And then it hit him.

The Room of Requirement! Teddy spun around to the blank stretch of wall opposite and swallowed. I need a place to hide, he thought, shutting his eyes tight and trying to block out the sound of footsteps coming closer and closer and closer. I wish I had never punched Flint, I wish I knew more about my parents, I wish I could go back…

A door appeared in the wall. Without hesitation, Teddy flung it open and plunged himself inside, expecting a large expanse of a room lined with mirrors and bookshelves, just like Harry had told him-

Except this was different. Namely because the room was a tiny, cramped space, as dark as night, and-

And there was no floor. With a cry, Teddy felt himself slip and fall, tumbling down and down into darkness heavier than he had ever thought possible. His headache was pounding, drumming inside his entire being, forcing Teddy to let loose a terrified scream that ripped through the air for a single moment, before he hit his head on something heavy and sharp and the darkness became infinite around him.

Author's Note: I think every fanfiction author has to do a time travel story at one point or another. So, here's my shot at it. I hope you like Teddy here. Hopefully the next chapter will be up ASAP, because I already have plenty of ideas - let's just say the past is going to be a whole lot more tricky than the present for our darling Teds. Please review! xoxo

Disclaimer: I am not British. I am not blonde. Hence, I cannot ever own Harry Potter, no matter how much I wish it to be mine.