Trading Places

Summary: It was an accident, Harry should have known his luck would result in this. Now, he found himself back in his 15 year old body at the Dursley residence. Can the Unspeakable that started this trouble, help them get back to their timeline? Or are they going to change the past for the better? Slight Dumbledore bashing. Slight Ginny, Ron and Hermione bashing. Harry/OC, Nev/Luna

A/N: This starts off a few months after the Battle of Hogwarts. There's hints of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, but if you haven't read/seen it…it's all good. I'm literally writing this by including the important scenes as they flow through me. So, this particular chapter takes place over a month and a half. That's me assuming Hogwarts lets out early June. So, please enjoy it and take it for the dribble it started out as.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, Primark or any other things you recognize (aside from Leila).

Chapter 1

Harry supposed he should have guessed something was off when he was volun-told to assist a new Unspeakable. The Man-Who-Conquered was enrolled in the fast track Auror program. He had insisted on being treated like everyone else, but the new Minister heard none of it. Even now, he found himself unveiling more hidden truths about his life as he got to look into his family. The Potter Family vault had been almost completely siphoned off by Dumbledore after Sirius' death. Only a few things remained. The gold in his trust vault was also noticeably smaller after the dowery to the Weasley Family for Ginny per Dumbledore's marriage contract.

His fiancée had known all along and was taking the time to play for the Harpies before their wedding in a few months. "Cricket?" A shorter member of the Unspeakable team moved around the rune room, seemingly unaware of his presence. Harry ran a hand through his hair. He wasn't happy with his lot in life, but he couldn't change the past. He was lucky the goblins had allowed him into the bank after they broke into a vault and escaped.

The Unspeakable finally turned around in surprised. "Auror Potter!" The voice was disguised by the magic in the cloak worn by Unspeakables.

"Not yet, just a trainee. However, I was sent to help with your project."

The Unspeakable nodded, "I wasn't sure if my request was considered insane at this busy time."

Harry agreed, though with his free time he found out more things hidden from him. Like the Potter Lordship that was his to claim since he was eleven. Or the fact that the Black Lordship was his since he was sixteen. "Well, everyone else decided they didn't want to be a test subject and today was the one day I was late to the pit. What are we working on?"

Cricket shrugged as if his words weren't relevant. They probably weren't to the shorter wizard. "You'll need to swear an oath first and then we'll get started."

Harry supposed it could be worse, he could be working with Croaker again. He had clearly been fascinated in the faded scar that used to house Voldemort's horcrux. It was kept as a highly classified secret and only his friends and a select few Ministry workers knew. The number was in the single digits. Croaker had been more friendly, but definitely too excited to experiment on him. Harry just didn't want anyone to find out how to make those vile things. The oath was quick and a standard vow with the threat of erasing memories or loss of magic. Which ever magic thought was appropriate. His green eyes noticed the dainty female wrist and slim fingers wrapped around the dark wand handle.

"Cricket?"

The Unspeakable nodded before pulling her hood back with her free hand. Harry looked at the brown skinned woman with almond shaped hazel eyes. Her brown hair was pulled back into a messy bun that didn't like dissimilar to Hermione's own buns. "Call me Leila in private. I hate that code name. However, since I'm so short and thin, Croaker thought he was being hilarious." Her full lips were in a tiny frown. Harry noticed immediately that she looked familiar. "We went to Hogwarts together. I was a Ravenclaw, a year under you."

"Then you knew-"

"Luna Lovegood, yes." The witch shrugged. "unfortunately, our housemates treated her terribly and we couldn't do much about it except help her in small ways when we got older."

Harry nodded, "How did you…?"

"You became friends with her in our fourth year. You helped her find her belongings at the end of the year for the next two years. I used to summon them as best I could the two years prior and my first year I paid a Slytherin student to do it. Luna used to talk to me about you. She stopped when she realized…anyway none of that is important."

"You dated that Slytherin bloke in my year, Nott?" Harry added, he could remember seeing her waiting after classes for Nott some days. Other days, the Slytherin would leave Malfoy and his gang to go to a different floor. They would also be in the Three Broomsticks together during Hogsmeade weekends.

Leila nodded, "We worked together on this project." She gestured to the notes. "However, he became rather obsessed with a certain rune set and when the Malfoy family offered to privately fund him, he left here." She shrugged and turned to the notes. "We were working on a way to possibly travel through time. I had a theory that it is easier to send memories back, possibly the human soul. He believed you could physically travel back further. He's working on a time turner to do just that, it's dangerous. Everything points to it lasting for only a few minutes the further back you went."

"Time turners go back only a day at most."

Leila nodded, "If he does work out the math and runes, he might be able to go back further than that. There's always a draw back to that kind of magic. He didn't want to listen…"

"What about your relationship?" Harry asked gently. He didn't have a personal interest, but Nott had run off to pursue some radical idea without the tiny woman.

"Daphne Greengrass is also supporting his idea, a lot better than some know it all Ravenclaw that sided with the light side." There was a hint of bitterness in her words, but the witch didn't meet his eyes as she started flipping through her notes. "Although, I don't imagine you have much interest in that. You're getting married soon, that's exciting."

Harry nodded, "I suppose."

"You don't sound super excited about it." Leila finally looked up. Harry was surprised to see she had unshed tears in her eyes.

"It wasn't exactly something I had a choice in." Harry admitted. "There's a lot of things I didn't have a choice in over the years." He ran a hand through his hair. "It's funny, there's so much I would like to do differently if I could. If I had even half the knowledge that I do now…"

Leila tilted her head, "Perhaps it wasn't a fluke that you were late to work today." She gestured to the center of the room and they sat down in silence. "Auror Potter, this is your role in this room for now until the Full Moon in a weeks time…" Her voice took on a more detached tone as she explained what they were doing. Harry wasn't sure if she actually need an Auror, but he could understand her desire to be working someone that was supposedly skilled enough to defuse high volumes of magic.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Harry found the week had flown by quickly. He would spend a few hours doing actual combat simulation and learning more about the laws they enforced, before returning to his temporary assignment in the Department of Mysterious. Cricket, or Leila as she preferred, was always drawing more runes carefully on to the floor of the room they were in. Harry thought it all looked extremely complicated and while he wished he could tell Hermione about it, he was relieved he couldn't. She had taken off with Ron to retrieve her parents and Harry hadn't felt left out. He was happy to have some distance and time to himself.

Hermione had been pushing for his relationship with Ginny. However, she quickly focused on her parents after the last of the funerals.

Leila had listened to him when he decided to talk about his troubled new road in life. She didn't seem to judge him when he told her that most of the Potter fortune had been stolen while he was fifteen. She didn't look surprised to hear that the Potter patent on Sleezy Sleak Hair Potion had been sold before his sixteenth birthday. The witch listened patiently as she drew the runes. Harry had started to help her paint as well.

The rune set she was constructing would cover the entirety of the room floor and part of the wall when they were done. Certain parts she had informed him had to be done in a certain order as they got closer to the full moon. He carefully constructed the symbols before him as he spoke to her. Harry never understood why, but she had listened and not judged. She had offered minor solutions, but she had no solutions to the bigger problems facing him. He couldn't undo the past. Despite her work, she had no idea if her runes would work. For all she knew, she could create something similar to the veil of death.

Harry didn't seem to notice how nervous she got the closer to finishing her runes. If he had noticed, he hadn't said anything to her about it. He had talked most of the week about himself. Leila was under the impression he didn't do it often. However, the more he talked the more she realized fate had bought them together for a reason. It was surprising to learn that the Potter fortune had been decimated by their deceased Headmaster. That the Weasley Family had actively hid Harry's duties from him as well, it was insane.

"This is the last rune." Leila informed him as she stopped at the last space on the floor. Harry nodded as he pulled out his wand. "I can't believe I'm going to try this."

Harry gave her a crooked grin, "You've listened to me vent for several days. I'm pretty sure you can do anything after that."

Leila laughed before turning to the empty space and drawing the time rune with a time stamp. It was just supposed to be a test. Taking a deep breath, Leila chanted a phrase in latin as her brush filled in the last time rune. Her hair whipped around her as she felt the magic pressure build in the air. "Harry!"

The Auror trainee tried to grab the witch, and run out of the room. However, magic was quicker than either of them. Harry's green eyes widen as he looked into fear filled hazel eyes. A crack of magic and neither of them felt any pressure any more. They landed hard.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Harry woke up with a groan. The surface he was laying on was uncomfortable. And his head felt like Buckbeak had walked on it a few times. Rubbing his head, he sat up. What was the last thing he remembered? He had just gotten home from Hogwarts, Voldemort had been resurrected. Cedric was dea-…no that wasn't right. Cedric had been dead for several years now. He had defeated Voldemort after destroying his Horcruxes, right?

He hooked his head under his arms and tried to focus. He started organizing his mind. He hadn't master Occumlency, but he knew the basic theory. He didn't understand how he had two different set of memories. He was an Auror in training working with an Unspeakable on a dangerous time related rune…and yet he had just completed his fourth year at Hogwarts. If he had completed only fourth year, how did he know what Occumlency was?"

Why did he consider himself an Auror in training? Sirius wasn't dead, was he? He was alive. He had been writing him over the summer. "It worked." He whispered to himself "Of course it did, Harry bloody Potter was involved." He bit out bitterly. If he had his older memories, than why did he still feel odd.

Deciding to see if he was really at the Dursleys again, Harry squinted trying to make out the dark room. He reached over and grabbed his thick rimmed glasses. He pushed the frame on to his face. The room cleared up a bit, he could make out the outlines. He really needed to get new glasses. He was definitely in his old room at Privet Drive. The blurry red numbers on the clock clearly indicted that it was 4:30 in the morning.

Pulling the glasses off, Harry fell back on to his bed with a sigh. He could make out his uncle and cousin's chainsaw like snores through the thin walls. How long would he be trapped in 1995? Was he even trapped? Did he just send his memories back? Leila said her goal was to send the memories and ultimately the soul back. Harry rubbed his face and closed his eyes.

Had they accidentally sent their soul and memories back?

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Two days had gone by and Harry was certain of a few things. The magic didn't send his soul back to the future. In fact, his soul and magic core were merging with his fifteen year old self. Okay, he knew his magic was merging because he had random bouts of accidental magic when he felt any emotion too strongly. He wasn't sure how long until the merging completed. He could only assume his soul had merged much quicker.

He didn't have to argue with a younger version of himself. Voldemort's soul was clearly located in his head again. Harry had taken the time to rebuild his mental defenses which was hard to do with the soul bit around. However, the fact he had been doing the chores around the house gave him time to focus on developing his defenses around the soul. Voldemort probably still could break through them if he focused. However, as long as he didn't know about the connection, Harry could use it to his advantage.

Harry had decided to defeat Voldemort quickly and quietly. There would be no battle on Hogwarts grounds. His godfather wouldn't die. Remus and Tonks would be able to get together and raise Teddy.

He had left Teddy alone with Andromeda. The older woman was slowly losing her mind after the close loss of her daughter and husband. If he was lucky, he would change the future. Teddy would have parents and he wouldn't be going through an arranged marriage. The Potter fortune would actually continue to grow without the Headmaster's interference.

"Boy!" His Uncle barked as he went through the morning post. He shoved an envelope towards the skinny wizard. "Someone sent you post."

Petunia peered over her grapefruit slice at the letter. "At least it doesn't look abnormal." She huffed. The brunette woman rolled her eyes, "At least you taught your kind how to be normal."

His relatives looked at him expectantly. Harry really considered running away again. He was an adult, even if physically they didn't think so. Even then, he knew he was legally an adult because of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Then again, he was dressed in his cousin's oversized clothes because he had never gotten a better wardrobe. He also needed to make sure no duplicate keys were active for his vaults. Taking the envelope, Harry opened the letter. It was signed Cricket, but asked for a chance to meet up with him.

That cemented the theory that they had landed in the same timeline. He had considered sending Hedwig to her, but he didn't know where she lived and if she had gone back like he had. Leila had been closer to the center than he had, her ritual could have sent her further back. "I'll be going out after finishing my chores." His Aunt and Uncle narrowed their eyes at him.

"No funny business and we aren't giving you any money."

"Yes, sir." Now that Harry thought about it, the Order was keeping watch on his house this summer. It was Fletcher leaving his post that caused him to deal with Dementors on his own. Walking back into the kitchen to clean up, Harry smirked. Having the knowledge of an Auror in training, there was no way he was going to allow the Ministry, or anyone, to think he needed Dumbledore to defend him.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

It had been a bit of a walk, but Harry reached the small restaurant that rested at the edge of his neighborhood. It was a bland white building, with a small parking lot and an almost full bike rack. There was a neon sign that blinked, indicating the shop was open. The first time around, Harry had never ventured this far from his neighborhood. He would see the shop on occasion when his relatives drove with him somewhere.

The summer was hotter than he remembered, he would have to take the Knight Bus the next time. He at least was walking without an invisibility cloak, though if the person was competent they probably had a cooling charm on. Harry wiped at his forehead before he walked into the air conditioned establishment. "Welcome!" A foreign accent greeted him. His green eyes looked at the older woman with dark skin and really curly hair. She smiled at him.

"Hello." She had caught him off guard. "I'm supposed to meet a friend here."

The woman nodded with a smile. "Did you want to check to see if they're here? If not, I'll set you up with a table and a menu."

"That sounds good, thank you."

Thankfully, he spotted Leila after passing one of the booths. The other teen wore a dark blue blouse with her hair swept up into her usual ponytail. Harry noted she looked obviously younger and less...stressed. Though, her body (like his) hadn't gone through a year under Voldemort's rule. "Leila, hi."

The witch sat her book down and looked at him. "Hello, Harry." Her eyes looked over his clothing without judgement. "How are you this summer?"

"Thank you." Harry turned to the waitress as he sat down across from Leila. The waitress smiled at them.

"I'll bring another water over and let me know when you're ready to order."

Leila smiled at the woman and after she disappeared turned to Harry. "Are you in any pain?"

"No." He studied her. She had been a gorgeous face hidden beneath a cloak before they got close enough for her to remove the hood completely. "I am tempted to runaway though." He said it low enough for her to hear, but no one else could over the ambience of the restaurant. "How are you?"

The Unspeakable sighed, "I don't remember the details of this year that well. However, the amount of letters stacking in my room means I've been writing Theodore."

"Oh," Harry wasn't sure what to say. He had letters from his friends and Sirius. Having future knowledge, he knew they were at the Order Headquarters. And one of the Horcruxes was in that house. He could turn Kreacher into his elf again by helping fulfill Regulus' last order. "My godfather is alive."

"We shouldn't meddle in time. Even this is pushing it." She warned him softly. "we could be yanked back to the future at anytime."

Harry looked at the menu in front of him and sighed as he sat it down. He didn't have any muggle money. He never felt the need to carry it since he only went out in the wizarding world. His stomach rumbled quietly, betraying him. Leila chuckled quietly. "I don't have any money on me."

"Order anyway. My treat this time. I did call you here and you look like you walked all the way here."

He blushed, but looked at the menu again. "I'll pay you back."

Leila glanced at her menu. "Harry."

"Yes?" He asked squinting at the type font. He ran a finger over the worn laminated paper. His green eyes went from the menu to the teen across from him.

"If we could change things for the better...do we risk obsoleting the information we know?"

Harry leaned back. He had contemplated if he should change the past the last few days. He had the knowledge needed to defeat Voldemort and make the alliances he had failed to cultivate at Hogwarts. He still had his wealth and his Lordship ring waited for him at Gringotts. "I want to, I want to save as many lives as possible."

"We could make things worse."

"Well...that's the flip side. We will never know unless we try."

Leila sighed and looked at him with a frown. "Harry, meddling in time is forbidden." There was no conviction in her voice. "We might be stuck in the past. We might never make it back to 1998."

"Unless we grow up again. Fight again." He paused and waved the waitress down. The same woman as before appeared. She smiled at them. He ordered a plate of meatloaf with mash potatoes, gravy and green beans. Leila ordered chicken tenders and chips. The brunette haired woman, took their menus before leaving with their orders.

The Ravenclaw looked at her glass of water annoyed. She admitted the truth of the situation- they could be stuck or they might be sent back to their bodies in the future. Without any of her father's equipment to measure magical talent, she didn't know if their magical cores were merging with their younger selves. Leila's best hypothesis is that they were stuck and their cores were merging, their minds had repressed or replaced their younger selves.

"Cricket." His voice broke through her mental wall. "Let's change some small things."

The Unspeakable nodded before taking a sip of her water. "What about your vault?" The Potter money came to mind when she saw the baggy and worn clothes on Harry. His glasses weren't taped together, but she noticed he had squinted at the menu. Everything about him needed to be cleaned up. It was small enough to start with and she didn't mind volunteering to be the go between him and the bank.

"What about it?" He asked. His mind was on the Horcruxes and their current locations. "I wonder if I could absorb Bellatrix's vault into the family one by dissolving her marriage."

"You would have to be Head of the Black Family and have a reason that breaks the clauses of her marriage documents." Leila reached into the bag beside her. "What about your clothes and glasses?"

"What about them? I can't walk into Diagon Alley to get new ones or money."

Leila chuckled, "I could withdraw money, convert it and we can shop in London."

Harry looked at the witch that had listened to him for a week straight vent about his life. She was asking for access to his vault. A thing he had without thought trusted the adults around him to take care of. What did he lose from allowing her to help? If the timeline stayed the same, he wouldn't have a fortune to worry about, if Dumbledore meddled. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the key and slid it to her. "I trust you know how much I would need for this."

"I'll see about a copy of the ledger. Just so you have a record of what I withdraw for you." Leila informed him as she picked up the key and slid it into her bag. "I will go tomorrow and I'll...owl you?" The last part sounded hesitant.

Harry nodded, "Unless you have a house elf." He paused and glanced around them. "We're breaking the statue of secrecy."

"I wondered when you would ask, we aren't. I've been using this," The Unspeakable showed a coin shaped metal. "It's engraved with a muffling rune." Her hazel eyes looked down at the coin. "I carved it carefully and so I know it's working based on the few test runs I've done this week."

Harry chuckled, "I should stop underestimating you."

"This wasn't hard." The Ravenclaw mumbled. She seemed to shrink into herself, worried. "We could make a list of things we need to accomplish before September."

The Man Who Conquered nodded solemnly. They both looked up as the waitress returned with their food. The meeting between them had been somewhat productive. If nothing else, they checked each other's wellbeing and decided to make the most of their situation. Having a dedicated list of things to accomplish meant that they could plan out their summer. Lists were normally Hermione's thing, but he wasn't surprised Leila wanted to do the same thing. It seemed to be the best way to stay organized.

"Want a chip?" She asked unexpectedly as she tore her tenders into pieces. She indicated the basket with chips and vinegar on the side.

Harry blinked surprised. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I have a small appetite right now." She admitted with a frown.

Harry took the offered chip and leaned back. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his bank key. If nothing else, the two of them were stuck with each other.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Leila smiled as she meet up with Harry. They were outside the diner not far from Privet Drive. The Man-Who-Conquered wore the blue jeans and black shirt that surprisingly fit his frame. A house elf had bought over the clothes, along with a note from the witch. She had successfully withdrawn and converted money from his account. And she had gotten a ledger of his accounts. The goblins had been sticklers for that particular bit of information, but the witch allowed them to use enchanted parchment that only opened with blood.

Harry had been amused watching his Aunt take in his thin frame. He had years of malnourishment to overcome, but Hogwarts had helped him reach a normal body index for his height. He had been underweight before this misadventure into the past. With clothes that fit him, it became obvious that he had missed meals compared to his cousin. The messy haired teen, greeted Leila with a tired smile.

The witch shoved her hands into her short pockets. "I figured we could use the bus to get to London today. It's the fastest way." Going into her bag that was on her hip, she pulled out a baseball cap and clip on lens. "Wear these until we get to London."

Harry put the baseball cap on and then allowed Leila to attached the clip on shades to his glasses. "Where are we catching the bus from?" She adjusted the cap to make sure his scar was covered.

Shrugging, Leila gestured to the why he had come from, "is there a spot around there?"

"Knight Bus?"

"Yup."

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Before that day, Harry could honestly say he had never been inside a Primark. His relatives wouldn't shop in such a bargain place and he barely knew about its existence. However, he enjoyed browsing the shop. It was the most normal thing he had done in a while. Leila had walked him over to the men's section, and left to check out the women's department. "You're an adult. I expect you can shop for yourself. If you need me, I'll be downstairs though."

Harry was glad she had left him to pick out his own clothes, it made him feel independent. And even now, a few days later, she was with him. He wasn't sure what his guards reported to the Order, but so far no one hadn't said anything about him going out so often to see Leila. Then again, his godfather couldn't tell him off for having a normal summer. His Headmaster was supposed to only contact him about school things. And his best friends weren't supposed to know anything that wasn't mentioned in his letters. Which he purposely kept short and to the point. His godfather was not amused by the lack of information, but only said something once.

Harry supposed it helped that she visited Surrey so often. He once asked her about it and she informed him that her parents were separated. Her father worked a lot and she often spent her summers as a teen alone, working part time in shops. This time, she just used her allowance to travel between London and Surrey via the Knight Bus. The trips weren't expensive and her family wasn't hurting for money in particular. Her mother lived in the United States.

"Thank you for coming here again." The words tumbled out as he tore into the sandwich she had packed with her. It was a neatly made ham and cheese with the works on it. She had even packed bags of crisps and bowls of fruit for them.

Leila smiled softly, as she ate her own lunch. Harry was an innocent individual in so many ways. The witch found that spending time with him, well it was fun. The Man Who Conquered was definitely the most supportive friend anyone could have in their corner. He was also a gentle soul that needed a little guidance to see the world around him. They knew that there was a Dark Lord to defeat. However, Leila deterred him from going after any of the Horcruxes just yet. She just wanted him to get his life together outside of the Dark Lord area. They had the upper hand over You-Know-Who, but they needed to keep the robbery of the Potter Fortune from happening.

And if Leila was honest with herself, she wanted to make sure that the marriage contract was never signed. "There's one working swing and that's mine after we eat." They sat in the park with the broken swing set (except one). There were little kids around playing on the slides unattended.

"I'm surprised Dudders left it intact. Then again, that's as high as he can count most days."

Leila chuckled as she picked up a grape. "You said he was in a gang?"

"At this age, him and his little friends all terrorize the kids in the neighborhood."

"You sound wistful."

Harry shrugged as he took a swig of water. "He changed after the dementor attack, became a better person somewhat. I told him if he ever had a magical child to contact me."

"We still have time then." Leila reminded him as she packed the remains of her food into the bag she bought with her. "I want to swing before it starts raining."

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"Remember my last?" Leila quoted as she rested her head in Harry's lap. They sat on the floor of her, otherwise, empty living room. After the dementor attack earlier that day, they had been herded to Number Four by Mrs. Figg. The older woman revealed herself to be a squib working for Dumbledore. She advised Leila to head home and stay away from Harry. The strange cat woman hobbled her way back to her home a street over.

The Dursleys had panicked at Dudley's pale and unresponsive form being carried by them. Aunt Petunia had burst into tears while holding Dudley. Vernon looked ready to throttle Harry after Dudley merely pointed to Harry as an answer to his mother's frantic whispers. Harry slid his wand out and explained what happened. His Aunt cried harder as she described what she remembered of dementors. The fact Harry had saved Dudley didn't endear him to his relatives. His Uncle told him to leave. Leila had remained in the shadows, but watched as a serious of letters were dropped off in the confusion. One declaring expulsion, another a trial and possible expulsion and finally a letter from Mr. Weasley that clearly explained nothing, except Dumbledore interfered.

Vernon's temper boiled over, but Leila aimed her wand at the large man. She stepped out of the shadows and made it clear there would be no more yelling at Harry. Leila had summoned her house elf, which followed Harry to his room and sent his belongings to her home. The elf then disappeared with the two of them. The Dursleys pale faces and Petunia's howler being the last thing they heard.

"I think he meant the last letter he wrote her." Harry answered after sometime. He ran his fingers through her hair. "You having that chocolate helped." Leila had pulled chocolate out of her bag after getting the Dursleys sorted. The chocolate revived Dudley to a more coherent state. Harry and herself were also better.

Leila closed her eyes as she laid on the carpeted floor. Harry leaned against the sofa. "You said dementors attacked you this summer. I carried it around since then."

"I definitely didn't do this last time." He commented after closing his eyes. "What about your dad?"

"We can use the confusion from you leaving to visit Gringotts. Once we get in you can claim your Lordship and remove the Headmaster's access to your accounts. I imagine the Potter Family had more than the property in Godric's Hallow." A calming silence fall between them. "We'll deal with my dad when he appears."

"I want to see them again." Harry whispered. "I want to visit them often and take care of their graves. I also, want to go after his horcruxes before Hogwarts starts."

Leila turned around and looked at him. Her hazel eyes met his green ones. She pushed herself off of his lap. Their faces were dangerously close. "We can do that." She whispered back.

"I may have to go to the Black Manor at some point this summer." Hazel eyes shifted to the side as Leila pulled away. Harry grabbed her hand. "We are still in this together."

"Of course."

Harry's eyes drifted to her full lips, before he leaned forward and kissed her. Leila leaned forward and surprised herself by returning the kiss. She pulled away, only to lean forward pressing a kiss to his lips. They exchanged more hurried kisses as they found warmth in each other.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"You know, I forgot that I needed basilisk poison or fiendfyre to destroy these things." Harry informed Leila a few days later. "However, I am curious about why we don't feel tempted to put this ring on."

Leila shrugged, as she looked around the rundown shack. "You spoke Parseltongue earlier, maybe you disabled some defense?"

"The ring should be like the locket and diary, we should feel compelled to wear or use it." He hadn't told her that the stone was an actual Deathly Hallow. "It was cursed and the spell was killing Dumbledore back in my sixth year."

The Unspeakable looked at the ring nestled in a box underneath a floor board. "It could require us to touch it." The gold ring glimmered in the darkness surrounding it. She kneeled next to the hole, but didn't dare touch it. "I can probably use fiendfyre, it will burn this whole shack to the ground without the proper runes in place."

"I wonder if the curse only happens if you wear the ring."

"I only know the basic detection spells." Leila informed him as she pulled out a dark, cherry wood wand. The witch didn't get to cast a spell as Harry pulled out dragonhide gloves.

"These are resistant to most spells. We only need to get the ring into this box." Harry pointed to a wooden box with runes around it. Leila had taken the time to carve them while Harry was Gringotts taking the Potter Lordship. Andromeda Tonks had received notification that she was named acting Regent for the Potter Family. The woman hadn't responded to the letter to decline the position. Harry had written a personal letter, letting her know that she was a distant cousin that he trusted with his political interest. He made it clear that he wanted her to make moves to teardown the pureblood hierarchy.

Harry had returned from the bank with a bag of goodies that he hadn't shared with her yet. The dragonhide gloves had come out of that bag. Leila hadn't minded not knowing what was in the bag, she was determined to continue experimenting with runes. "Be careful." She whispered as she leaned out of the way. The darkness hid snakes that attempted to bit Harry's arm. The gloves protected him, breaking their fangs off. Through the glove, he could feel a distant pull. Leila knocked at his hand with the box causing him drop it in before shutting it. "You looked strange."

"Thank you."

Nodding, she reached into her bag and transfigured a rock into a replica. It would hold until someone, namely Dumbledore, came looking for it. "How are we going to..."

"Dobby!" The elf showed up with a quiet crack. He wore a clean pillowcase with the Potter crest. Leila had encouraged him to take the elf as his own. Hermione would throw a fit about it when she found out. The Ravenclaw informed him matter of factly that elves bonded with wizards because they had to share magic. "Take us home please."

"Yes great master harry potter sir!" The elf disappeared with the two of them.

Leila grunted when they landed in Potter Manor. It was significantly more secure than her family's apartment. However, it was somewhat big for just the two of them and their elves. It was three stories, had over six bedrooms, a basement and a small greenhouse out back. Dusting her jeans off, Leila looked over at Harry. He was focused on the box in his hands. "Harry." Approaching him, she covered the lid of the box with her hand, gently removing it from him. "Harry, let's get cleaned up and have tea. We can't continue looking for these if we don't have a way to destroy them."

The Gryffindor didn't respond as his eyes followed the box in her arms. The witch summoned her house elf. "What are you doing?"

"I'm having Miffy put this away until we've worked out a way to destroy it. You named two methods, realistically we need a secure place to use fiendfyre."

"The Black Family has an oven that can contain that type of fire."

Leila nodded to her elf, before turning to Harry. She placed a hand on her hip. "Are you turning yourself over to Dumbledore's group? They'll wonder how you know about the Black Family home. You didn't even know about your lordship until your 18th birthday." Hazel eyes narrowed at him, "besides, they wouldn't let you leave that property for anything, but the trial."

"I know." Harry acknowledged. His green eyes looked at the petite woman across from him. "It would be the locket and ring destroyed together."

"Can't we wait a little longer?"

Harry sighed, he had left the Dursleys six days ago. He spent the night with Leila, before heading to Gringotts at a ridiculously early hour. He had returned to Leila's apartment to a wrapped up breakfast and a working witch. He also had letters from his godfather and best friends wanting him to return to the Dursleys. They had demanded his whereabouts and begged him to return to the safety of the wards. Leila informed him flatly, that there was no chance those wards would keep the Dark Lord out completely. Harry had gone to the bank twice more in those six days before deciding to stay away from the Wizarding World. He had added Leila to his accounts and removed everyone else. Though, Andromeda still hadn't responded to the letter. Today, was day seven. "How about until two days before my birthday?"

He watched as Leila counted the number of days, it gave them less than a fortnight together.

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Harry slid his arm tighter around Leila's slender frame. She curled up next to him and slept soundly. "You know...this feels really nice." He chuckled when she hummed softly. "I'm going to miss this, alot."

"Don't go." She whispered. He could hear how tired she was and pressed his body against hers. If anything, she relaxed even more. "We could handle everything."

He sighed as he looked at her. Her smooth brown skin looked blurry without his glasses, but that didn't mean he hadn't memorized her body. Pressing a kiss against her shoulder, he ran his fingers across her stomach. "Lei."

"I had to try." She whispered as she pulled away slightly.

Harry wasn't sure if their relationship was natural or because of the dementors. However, he did know that he enjoyed her presence. It was similar to Luna's friendship, but more intense. He knew at some point, he had acknowledged her attractiveness to his self. However, that first night after the dementors, he had been surprised when she returned those feelings. Neither of them acknowledged that their romance could be short lived. Harry hoped it wouldn't be, but when Theodore Nott would appear...he wondered would Leila still fall for him? Either way, he decided to make the most of their time together. They took turns cooking for each other. Leila used her house elf to get them near muggle attractions and they saw movies together, landmarks, Buckingham Palace. The witch also spent a large amount of time looking at runes, attempting to create something similar to the oven in Black Manor.

"I'll see you at the courthouse." Harry closed his eyes, "besides, we have to deal with school again."

A few hours later, the sun rose again. The light shined on them and Leila was the first to wake up. Harry had rolled on to his back and he looked peaceful sleeping in. Her hazel eyes drunk in the sight, she didn't know when Harry and herself would be this intimate again. She watched the raise and fall of chest before rolling over and starting to leave the bed. Harry still had to save the Wizarding World from its own stupidity. Leaving the bed, Leila removed her bonnet and walked towards the bathroom. She would start breakfast today. The house elves were both energetic and eager to help them, but every time either human made a meal the elves wonder if they were bad.

Harry smelled the treacle tart before he even left the bed. The smell slipped through the crack in the door that Leila had left. He never was one for following his stomach, but he got up and headed to the bathroom. Harry wondered down the stairs, shirtless and with just pajama pants. Leila's hair was swept into a bun and she wore a shirt that was larger than her frame, perhaps one of his? "Good morning." He greeted as he approached her from behind. She was cooking bacon and there was a pan of eggs as well. On the counter, was the treacle tart that he had smelled. Careful to not disturb her, he wondered over to his favorite dessert.

"Morning, leave it there mister. It's for later. When you go off to your prison sentence."

Chuckling, Harry leaned against the counter. "You are very dramatic now that I know you."

"Maybe. No one would believe you."

"Luna."

The two exchanged looks at the blond's name. "Do you think she...knows?"

"She's not a seer."

"We don't know that."

Leila had a point, the blond hadn't mentioned being a seer. However, she might not have thought it was relevant to what was going on around her. Even so, his goal was to make sure she didn't end up in Malfoy Manor. Harry looked at the small pile of bacon and took a slice. "You didn't have to cook."

The brown haired witch shrugged. "Before this summer, I spent years cooking for just myself. This has been nice."

"Not even with Nott?" It was irrational, but part of him felt excited to achieve another thing before the Slytherin.

"No, we never stayed together like this. And the rare nights we were together, house elves always served us." Leila started moving the plates without magic to the table. Harry moved to assist her. The treacle tart was wrapped up and left on the corner by her. "I cut some fruit up as well." The witch removed oranges, kiwi and strawberries from the refrigerator and sat it with the rest of the food. "I can pack that for you as well. Just keep it stored when you get in the house, I will cast a temporary cooling charm."

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"Where in Merlin's name have you been?" Molly Weasley cried out as Harry was guided into Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. Alastor Moody had been part of the guard that met Harry at Kings Cross Station. It had been public and muggle filled, but Leila had suggested it as the safest place. He has passed the recommendation on to his godfather. Thinking of him, Harry felt the grim looking dog move past him and further into the room. That had been risky on Sirius' part, but Harry didn't say anything.

His godfather was alive.

Angry, judging by his expression...but alive.

The dog had shifted into his godfather's tall frame. The current (unclaimed) Lord Black had a dark look on his face. Harry was morbidly amused by it. It didn't help that a smirk had crossed his face as he pointedly ignored Mrs. Weasley. In the past, he would have tripped over himself to answer. "You find this funny." Sirius growled out. The other members of the Order, excluding Remus, shuffled into the basement kitchen. An angry Molly was one thing, however, Sirius was just as angry.

"Not in particular." Harry admitted as he reached into his pocket and pulled touched his shrunken trunk. "I merely gave out the same amount of information I received."

"Harry James Potter!" Molly started to scream out. The redhead woman's face was a dark shade of red.

Sirius' clinched his jaw. "Molly, he's my godson. I can talk to him without your help."

The raven haired wizard bit his tongue. He wanted to inform Ron's mother that she would wake up Mrs. Black. However, he wasn't supposed to know about the screaming portrait. Leila had warned him it would be hard to act like he didn't know certain things. Though, she had warned him that seeing Sirius would probably be the hardest thing for him. And, she hadn't been wrong, but the calming draught kept him from leaping at his godfather. The older man would never understand why his godson was hugging the daylights out of him.

Harry felt Remus' hand on his shoulder and looked towards the werewolf. Teddy would be born again. He might not be godfather, but that would be okay. He just needed his little godson to be around. He wanted to see the toddler with shocking violet hair that changed to match his godfather's dark locks when he wanted to be held. More importantly, he wanted to spare Andromeda the heart break of losing every member of her family in less than a year. "Hello, Remus."

At some point, in the future he had stopped calling the werewolf 'Professor.' At Kings' Cross, he had carefully greeted Moody and Remus. Harry felt the werewolf's grip tighten. "Where have you been Harry?" Unlike the other two adults surrounding him, Remus was calm. His tone was calculating. Amber colored eyes bore into Harry.

"Honestly, staying with a friend." Harry shrugged, "I'm not sure how you all found out I had left, unless Ms. Figg told the Headmaster."

Sirius answered, "You were being protected by the other members of the Order." He sighed deeply as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "When you were attacked, we found out 20 minutes later. Of course, I punched Fletcher in the face for skivving off. We knew there was a chance you would be attacked, but the Ministry has been too busy being to useless to work with building a defense."

"You're telling him too much information!" Molly interrupted. "Harry, we were only looking out for your wellbeing. You're just a boy."

Harry looked at this woman trying to reconcile her with the witch that killed Bellatrix LeStrange. "No disrespect, but I haven't been just a boy since my parents died. The illusion was nice while it lasted, but since my return to the Wizarding World there has been various attempts on my life." His green eyes scanned the entrance hall. He saw the ugly umbrella stand that Tonks always knocked over. Hermione, Ron and Ginny weren't anywhere to be seen. That didn't mean the Extendable Ears hadn't already gotten downstairs to listen. "This attack by dementors is no different. We'll see what happens, the Decree of Underage Witchcraft clearly states that defensive magic is allowed in dire circumstances."

"Who is your friend?" Remus asked quietly. Harry appeared calmer than his letters to Sirius previously hinted at.

Harry studied Remus' shabby robes and the scars on his face. "Just a schoolmate."

"Harry." Remus glanced briefly at Sirius. Sirius Black and Molly both looked irritated at the lack of information. He wanted to ask more questions. He wanted Harry to offer better explanations.

/-/-/-/-/-

"Harry!" Hermione cried out as she wrapped her arms around him. "Oh, we heard about the attack and we all were terribly worried." The bushy haired witch admitted. She pulled away and looked at her best friend. Harry didn't look as angry as she expected. His green eyes looked older, calculating even.

"Hello Hermione." He greeted her quietly. He nodded at Ron and Ginny. He even looked at the twins. Fred and George grinned as they greeted him. Both had apparated downstairs with twin loud cracks and pulled him away from the adults. "Everyone." The younger version of his friends immediately started filling him in on everything they knew. Harry was careful to ask certain questions, but otherwise listened. Ginny's warm brown eyes seemed to be examining him over and over.

If only she knew that the Headmaster had lied.

That would be a future problem for her. His current problem was to find a room that he could use without sharing with Ron. Not that he didn't like the redhead, but he needed to speak with Kreacher quietly. He caught a glimpse of the house elf. The mad creature had been roaming around upstairs, muttering under his breath about the filthy people defiling the house. Harry couldn't wait to change the little creature for the better.

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Silver: Please feel free to review! It tends to encourage me to keep going (though I will keep writing without it).