Times of Trouble

Harry frowned as he saw Albus run across the platform and throw himself into his mother's arms. That boy was so unlike the man he knew that he couldn't stop worrying about what he could've done.

Still, Neville was right. A lot could happen to a man in a hundred years.

"Oh, no," Hermione said softly from his side.

Harry followed her gaze to Arianna and Aberforth, who were standing awkwardly next to their parents and watching their big brother. Their faces were full of disappointment.

It wasn't hard to see why.

Albus was ignoring them in favor of their parents – just like he had during Christmas break.

Harry called out and gave a wave to Arianna and Aberforth. The two children smiled at the sight of him and crossed the platform quickly.

Harry was so busy greeting them and giving them the attention they wanted that he didn't see Albus give him a hate-filled look.

XXX

Harry grinned at the shocked look on Neville's face as Donald embraced him – once he got over his own shock that is.

It had been so amusing when Neville called him out for using the wrong type of wood on the time turner. Neville angry was a rather amazing and scary sight, probably more so than Hermione angry. The changing of the wood had been part of the reason they hadn't left a month ago.

Who'd have thought that the only way to impress Donald Longbottom was to engage in a shouting match and ultimately prove that while you knew nothing about rocks, you could talk circles around him about plants?

Once Neville was released from the bear hug the three of them murmured quiet goodbyes and gave the Dumbledores quick hugs. Then Hermione draped the chain of the time turner over the three of them and set it to spinning.

The garden around him disappeared in a swirl of color and shapes. Harry's ears were pounding as he found himself flying forwards. It was just like when he'd gone to save Sirius and Buckbeak back in his third year, except for the flying forwards instead of backwards.

CRACK

Abruptly Harry found himself thrown to the ground, Hermione and Neville landed on top of him as the chain of the time turner got tangled around their heads.

Harry was the first one to untangle himself.

He stumbled to his feet and pulled out his wand. Quickly spinning in a circle he scanned the small field they'd landed in.

His gaze immediately fell on a rather familiar looking face sitting among the waving grass of the field.

His jaw dropped.

Neville and Hermione untangled themselves and stood up next to him. Their gazes followed his and Neville asked, "Why do I see a teenage Preston Turnipseed over there?"

Hermione groaned, "Because your idiot uncle built us a time turner that broke."

She held up the broken time turner on its chain. Harry could see that the glass had shattered, though the wooden part remained solid.

"Well, I suppose we might as well go talk to Preston since he's heading this way," Neville said before striding towards the blonde American.

Hermione and Harry followed Neville over to the now standing Preston.

As they walked Harry studied Preston. The boy was not any better looking than he had been when he was a kid. His features were still too sharp for his face, and they looked even more angular now that most of the hair was gone from his head in a very short and unflattering cut. He must now be six and a half feet, at least, which only made him look more awkward than he'd ever looked before. His arms were so long they almost reached his knees, which was saying a lot, since his legs were super long.

"Hey, Preston! What are you doing?" Neville asked as they drew close.

"Well now, I was jus' enjoyin me grandpa's field here." Preston looked at them curiously, "Wha' I wanna know is where ya'll been fer the last six years?"

Well, that answered what time it was, Harry thought.

"Um…" Neville looked back at Harry and Hermione for help.

Hermione stepped up and shot Preston a smile, "We've been traveling."

Preston looked at the three of them for a moment before he burst out laughing.

"Yeah, yeh've been travelin'. But yeh haven' traveled far have yeh? At least not in terms of space."

Hermione looked up at him with a confused expression, "I don't know what you're talking about. How can you travel if it isn't in terms of space?"

"Ya'll are time travelers."

The three of them stared mutely at Preston.

"What? Ya'll think I can't smell the oddness on yeh?"

Neville frowned, "Smell? What do you mean?"

Preston just rolled his eyes, "Ne'ermind. C'mon, let's go up to the house. Yeh can tell me where yeh been while we eat me grandma's scones.

When Preston turned to walk towards a big house in the distance the others didn't follow him. He stopped after a few feet and looked back at them.

"Well? Yeh coming?"

Hermione shook her head, "Tell us, how can you smell us?"

"Fine. But I woulda thought at least yeh'd know a skinwalker when yeh see one. Even if those two don't."

"A skinwalker?! But, they've been extinct for almost a hundred years!"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth she gasped and slapped her hands over her mouth, as if to make the words go back in.

Preston's jaw dropped, "EXTINCT?! What do you mean extinct?! There are thousands of us!"

"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said anything! I didn't think of the time!" Tears came to Hermione's eyes as she spoke.

Harry and Neville shared a confused look, "Um, what's a skinwalker?" Harry asked.

"A humanoid creature found only in America. They are only male and must breed with humans to survive. When they have access to the skin of an creature they can transform into that creature – which is where they get there name. In their natural human form they are extremely tall and bony; they also have the ability to smell thoughts on people. How they read those smells is unknown. They also possess the ability to use wizard magic. Countries with resident skinwalker populations forbid them from learning magic. They were exterminated after one skinwalker learned magic in another country and came to demand more rights for his people in the USA. When the Ministry refused, it's said that the skinwalker went mad from the use of a wand and attacked and killed the wizards. Stories are conflicting on what actually happened since there were no survivors. After that the Ministries in the Americas united and exterminated them as a dangerous menace. The last known one was killed in 1902," Hermione said all of this in one long breath, tears sparkling in her eyes.

"Then I can't do as I planned, if I want me people to live," Preston said calmly, a faraway look in his eyes.

"Then, it was you? You were planning to confront the Ministry?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, me plan was to–"

A loud bang cut off Preston's words.

The four of them jumped and turned to see three dangerously familiar figures standing nearby.

"Ha! Told you I'd find them!" The high-pitched voice of Bellatrix Lestrange screamed.

"Attack!" yelled Malfoy.

"Avada Kedavra!"

A bolt of green light shot out of the third Death Eaters wand. It flew straight at Neville, who threw up a shield charm just in time. The force of the blow made him fly backwards across the field.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry roared as a bolt of red light shot out of Malfoy's wand.

After that the field erupted into chaos.

"We've got to get out of here!" Hermione shouted as another killing curse hit her shield.

"If ya'll don't get freaked out I can take on a skin and fly us outta this place." Preston said this calmly as he blasted Bellatrix back about ten feet.

"What skin?" Neville said as he jumped out of the way of a stunning spell. It hit a nearby rock, causing it to explode and shower them with rock dust.

Preston let out an evil sort of laugh, "Dragon, Hungarian Horntail."

Harry shot a blasting spell at Malfoy's feet, causing the man to fly into the air. "If you can carry all of us, then let's do it."

"Alright, cover me fer a minute."

Preston put his hand on a leather covered ring attached to his belt. It was so unusual that Harry was surprised he hadn't noticed it before. His hands stroked it as his eyes grew distant.

And then he changed.

Bones began to enlarge under his skin before going off into odd angles. They made horrible grinding noises as they did this. Harry felt like he was about to throw up watching, so he turned his attention back on the Death Eaters just in time to shield Preston from a spell.

A minute later a loud roar filled the field right before flames shot over Harry's head and straight at the Death Eaters, making them throw up their own shield charms.

"Harry! C'mon!" Neville shouted.

Harry turned and ran the short distance before climbing up on Preston's back with Neville and Hermione. He was barely settled when Preston shot off the ground and into the air. Wind rushed all around him. He barely heard Hermione yell a spell that caused them all to disappear.

And with that they were speeding through the air over England to an unknown destination.