Chapter Text
Title: Future's Past
Series: The Future Is My Past; The Past Is My Future
Author: darkseraphina
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairings: fem!Harry Potter/Orion Black; others mentioned
Genre: Romance, Alternate Universe, Genderbent, Always a Different Sex, Time Travel
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Genderbent, if that isn't your thing; canon-level violence (which is pretty violent, let's be real here); character death (offscreen); adult language, seriously people I swear like a sailor and so do my characters; Paganism and non-traditional religious views (because let's be honest, a society that went into hiding because of witch burnings is going to have a slightly different view on the Abrahamic faiths than, say, most of the Western Hemisphere)
Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns everything. Seriously. If you recognize it, it isn't mine and I am definitely not making any money off this work.
This was written for the Rough Trade April 2016 challenge. Rough Trade is hosted by Keira Marcos and her coven of kickass fanfic writers. The challenge was on Second Chances and had a max word count of 40,000 and a minimum of 35,000. I completed the challenge within the parameters, but added some content during editing and probably exceeds than now.
This story, and the future ones that I plan to write (though how well that will go is anyone's guess) are cross posted to my wordpress page and will likely end up on my FanFic.net page as well.
Background: So, imagine Sirius got ahold of the Daily Prophet the summer before Female Harry (hereafter referred to as Ianthe) started first year - right about the time that the Prophet was all fangirly over the Girl-Who-Lived returning to the magical world after ten years exile with Muggles. Cue breakout early, because how much time has passed and what Muggles? Imagine, also, that Sirius actually ran true to the background JK Rowling gave the Marauders: brilliant, powerful and creative wizards that could face Voldemort and survive three times, who invented whole new spells by their OWLs and managed something as students that literally two other people in the entire series demonstrated.
So, Sirius escapes Azkaban and does something smart - he takes himself off to Gringotts, requests Sanctuary, takes a few weeks (and a lot of healing potions) to get his head on straight after years of Dementors, and to plan – because a Marauder always has a plan (not necessarily a good plan, see Halloween attack on the Fat Lady as exhibit A).
Problem: wanted men don’t get custody of their sweet goddaughter. Solution: get a trial. Problem: The Ministry is full of morons and Fudge is Moron‑in‑Chief. Solution: blackmail key members of the Wizengamot into clearing way. Freedom achieved.
Now let's imagine that Sirius, aided by Remus, are unimpressed by the Philosopher Stone, or a reasonable facsimile, being placed in school full of children - curious ones. And also the Ministry. And Dumbledore – especially his secrets. And the Dursleys. And Ianthe’s lack of knowledge of her family and rank. And any number of other things.
Cue the Marauders doing…marauder things. Like screwing with people’s plans and destroying Horcruxes and cockblocking Dumbledore’s Greater Good. Ianthe comes by trouble very naturally. She also learns her Marauder lessons well. Pranking and politicking have a surprising amount in common if you do them right. Hermione is horrified, awed, and impressed. Lucius Malfoy wants to know what the fuck happened to his controlled, well‑ ordered world. Dumbledore is furious that his chess pieces have staged a coup d’etat.
Six years later, Voldemort is still a wraith, the horcruxes are gone, and Ianthe and Sirius are attacked by several Death Eaters and He Who Has No Body. Problem: wraiths can’t be killed. Solution: kill him while possessing a body. Problem: he’s trying to posses Sirius’s goddaughter. Solution: give him someone else to possess. Problem: you need to kill the spirit trying to possess you before he actually does, in a way he can’t escape.
Solution: Fiendfyre.
Ianthe does not approve.
In another time and place Ianthe saved her godfather by meddling with time and by breaking two international laws. In this time and place? Ianthe offers her magic, soul and life to change a single moment in time, not only to save her godfather’s life, but to change his past.
The part where Merlin shows up and dumps her in the 1970s? Not part of her plan. Fortunately, pranksters are adaptable.
Jane Levy and Ioan Gruffudd
as
Ophelia Manus/Ianthe Potter and Orion Arcturus Black
Additional Notes: I’d love to list the stories and authors that have influenced me, but I have read literally thousands of stories over the years, and countless other works inspire my personal canon. I will say that I have read everything that Keira Marcos and Jilly James have written, several times, so if you see their influence here that is why. I also love Keira’s ‘fuck canon, what canon?’ attitude and have adopted it.Also, I have changed birth and death dates in the Harry Potter world. Not all of them – Orion Black is still born in 1929, but Sirius and the Marauders are born in 1968/1969. Ianthe as born in 1990, was orphaned October 31, 1991, and went to Hogwarts in 2001. Honestly, I know very little about the sixties in Britain and wanted to bring the era of this story into the 70’s (and the eighties in future stories). Additionally, it seemed unfair to stick an independent female character back in time to before the women’s liberation movement. Magical Britain’s prejudices are enough to write without adding the muggle world’s. Also, I felt like it. You probably won’t notice, since I’m unlikely to mention exact dates except to give timeline context.