Title: Decisions
Author: CrazyAndInsane
Disclaimer: Do not own! I will not be making any money off of this fanfiction, this is geared towards entertainment value only and no copy-right infringement, ripping off, or stealing of characters is intended.
Summary: After Harry is killed by Voldemort in Book 7 he realizes that he has quite a decision on his hands, just because he was going back alive didn't mean he couldn't chose when.
Part One
Harry could go back at any time huh? Harry leaned back along the bench he was sitting at and pondered what Dumbledore told him, his anger for the elderly man had faded over the past two years into something close like pity but not exactly. Harry could understand why Dumbledore did what he did but it still stung that Harry's entire life had been nothing more than a chess-board to kill Voldemort and his followers, what irritated him mostly was the fact that many people had been injured or killed because of one old man's paranoia and manipulative nature about a prophecy – given by a batty bitch who smoked more than just her incense. Harry pushed the emotions away and sighed, the fact that he could well believe returning to life or moving on was like boarding a train but also could mean that he could return at any time.
How far back was he willing to go?
Harry could go back to when Voldemort was still a baby and smother him in his sleep or perhaps adopt him and raise "Tom" before he reached the point of evil. He could go back further and stop Arianna from dying and perhaps prevent Dumbledore's guilt over it and his relationship with Gilbert Grindlewald which most likely contributed with the whole paranoia mindset Dumbledore had now - used to have anyway. Or perhaps Harry could go back to his parent's time and go to school with them, prevent the Marauders from tormenting Snape like they had which will prevent the Slytherin from falling into with Malfoy's Dad's crowd. Maybe Harry could prevent Pettigrew from turning traitor or maybe see about match-making his Mum with Snape, from the stories Harry heard his Dad still didn't really change his ways until after his death. Maybe he could go back and stop Voldemort from killing his parents or if he was too late, taking his baby-form with him after Voldemort was vanquished, maybe drop a few lines in at the Ministry about Pettigrew being the real traitor and preventing Sirius from spending so long in Azkaban. Perhaps Harry could start over from when he first visited Diagon Alley or when he was being sorted, maybe he could go back only a few years when he was a third year or the summer before the Tri-Wizard tournament and really shake things up. Or he could go back to the ministry fight in fifth year and prevent Sirius's death.
There was so much to be changed but he only had once chance at this so Harry had to pick the right moment to go back, too far back everything would change – a newer, unknown Dark Lord would take Voldemort's place if Harry changed things that far back. Or one of his parents or Sirius could fall in love with him or even Snape, but if Harry pushed too hard he might drive Snape into Malfoy's arms or draw a target on his back by Voldemort. It would be hard to explain why there was two of him or why he was there warning his parents about their deaths which would mean that Harry would have to stand by and watch them die than try to make sure that Pettigrew was revealed as the traitor and making sure his baby-self ended up with Sirius. There was too many variables with that situation so Harry would avoid that hairy mess altogether and go before that point in time or years afterwards, too many things could go wrong if Harry pulled the wrong string just once.
Maybe this was how Dumbledore felt, Harry admitted to himself as he grew frustrated with the all of the loose ends of several plans, that you only knew half of the story and you needed to pick the best ending – which meant sacrifices had to come from somewhere. His parent's deaths, Snape's swan-dive into the darkness, Sirius's imprisonment, Voldemort's unhappy and most likely abusive – in all forms – childhood. Something would have to give and Harry had to decide which one he was willing to continue for the…greater good it seemed. Harry could feel that weight settling in on his shoulders, no matter what he chose to do now everything that happened that he could have changed would always be his fault - something Harry was going to have to bear and not breath a word about to anyone. He wasn't stupid and babbling about how he was a time-traveler would get him thrown into Azkaban or captured by some Dark Lord wanting to know how he did it, frankly that wasn't something Harry would relish doing so he had to kept his mouth shut.
Decisions, decisions, decisions.
inis
