TITLE: Better Early Than Never
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I receive any profit from any of my stories other than the joy of seeing reviews and favourites.
A/N: Hey guys. I know a lot of you probably have come from my other stories, BACK - (When Harry goes back in time, Lily accidently falls for him instead of James. Can a panicked Harry get his parents together? Or will his fate become non-existent?) BEFORWARDS - (At Kings Cross, Harry meets someone other than Dumbledore. That someone sends Harry back in time to change things. Can Harry, with his future knowledge and new mentor change his future for good? OR will this time travel not have the desired effect?) Just Some Crush - (Lily wasn't sure what she felt for the new boy who fell out of the sky. But she knew for sure that it wasn't just some crush.) and yes, I do like writing and reading HP fanfics about time travel.
As you start reading this story, you'll see that there are some very strong similarities to Midnight Star 25's Manipulating Fate. It's and incredible story, and if you hadn't read it, I highly recommend. As far as the similarities go, they're usually at the beginning. The story does go in a very, very different direction and does in fact, take on a life of it's own.
Thanks for reading, and putting up with my ramblings, hope you enjoy. I know I did.
Miss Mysteria.
Chapter One: Times Like these
He sighed and looked around the empty office. An one hundred and twenty year old Harry Potter was sat behind the desk in the Headmasters office of the 'newly' refurbished Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
During the war almost 93 years ago now, the ancient castle had been the focus of many attacks, destroying almost all of it's historical and beautiful interior and exterior. The war had raged on for almost twenty years, when Harry had left school after his final year with McGonagall as Head, he became the official leader of The Order of the Phoenix. Of course, throughout his sixth and seventh years he had been helping them on the side, taking missions with the of age members of the DA (Dumbledore's Army) in the holidays, protecting the school from any Death Eater advancements, and even, at one point, taking over the Defence Against the Dark Arts post in the middle of his last year because McGonagall couldn't trust anyone applying for the job.
So, when he had left school, the war still going on, he joined the Ministry of Magic in their Auror division and quickly, after a year or two, became the Head of Magical Law Enforcement. There hadn't been any choice, really. Rufus Scrimgeour had been taken out by Yaxley (that had pushed Harry up to Auror Captain) and Madam Bones had been murdered by Voldemort himself, which left no one else Kingsley Shacklebolt (the new Minister after Cornelius Fudge had been murdered when Harry was sixteen) could trust as well as Harry.
He took control and went down in history for being the best head of the department since Ulick Gamp had founded it; more Death Eater's found than ever, more raids handled and executed so no unnecessary deaths occurred, more supporters of Voldemort either killed or imprisoned, although if they were imprisoned, Riddle always found a way to get them out. For five more years things at the Ministry went as smoothly as they could. Kingsley handled the politics, all the while assisting Harry, Neville Longbottom and Ron Weasley (Neville being Harry's second in command and Ron being the Head Auror Captain) whenever they needed it. But then Kinglsey was murdered. By Draco Malfoy no less. Merlin almighty, that had sent Harry off. It had taken a whole team of Aurors to stop and literally sit on Harry so that he didn't go off and kill Malfoy; he had become close with Kingsley.
And...there was nothing else for it.
The darker side of the Wizengamot was trying to get Pius Thicknesse into the seat, whereas the lighter side was searching around for someone to represent them and hopefully keep the British Ministry afloat. What they wanted was someone who was well known, all around the wizarding world, for their hatred of Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Someone who could hold their own in a fight, someone strong willed and moralled. Someone who had ties all around; ties in Hogwarts, Ilvermorny, Beauxbatons, Durmstrang, the Americas, Europe.
That was why Hermione Granger, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, stood up in the middle of an argument at the busiest Wizengamot meeting ever recorded in history, that had sparks spitting out of the majority of wizards wands. It was a danger to herself, no doubt about that, especially with unknown and known Death Eaters as Heads of Ancient and Noble Houses, but, being Hermione, she did it anyway. Much to the displeasure of her boyfriend, Blaise Zabini, Head of the Department of Mysteries. Once she had gotten to her feet, determined, all noise in the pearly white chamber ceased and every eye flicked to her.
With Blaise's hand on the back of her thigh, supporting her, and the other very obviously on his wand, she cleared her throat and spoke.
"Harry Potter."
That was how he then became the Minister for Magic, youngest ever at twenty-four and the Leader of the Order of the Phoenix.
After that his life had been even more hectic and life-endangering. Not just for him either. Wherever he went, his friends, Ron, Neville, Dean, Seamus, Hermione, Ginny, Fred and George, Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini, they all came with him. Of course, Theo and Blaise hadn't always been his friends. He, Ron, Hermione and Neville had been on a raid when they were just out of school; at Malfoy Manor.
They had received intel at the Order that there were several of their missing members being held and tortured there; including, but not limited to, Mad-Eye Moody, Dedalus Diggle, Martha Watts, Sienna Miller, Percy Weasley and Remus Lupin.
But when they arrived, they witnessed both Blaise and Theo being tortured by the Cruciatus, almost into the place where Neville's parents were. Merlin it had hurt him to see that.
They had overheard that it was because they had tried to help the Order members break out, and that they had been caught on their way out.
After the four of them rescued the members and the two boys, in insistence of Hermione and Neville, Harry became close friends with both who eventually joined the Order and the Ministry and because Harry was friends with them, it caused every one of his friends to too. A few years later, Hermione and Blaise started dating, much to the great displeasure of Ron, but after a while, he got over it and started dating Hannah Abbot.
As Minister, Harry had faced Voldemort in a duel at the very least six times, all ending in what only could be seen as a draw. They would either battle with their fists, all wands forgotten; their wands and self-made spells; or their minds, each trying to get inside the others head. Voldemort would usually choose for the first or third, as when Dumbledore had been killed, by the curse in his hand, he had chosen to leave Harry the elder wand (and what Riddle didn't know was he had also left him the Resurrection Stone), which meant that Harry could come out as the victor if they faced each other just on Magical prowess and power alone.
In addition, with all these years of fighting and training, Harry, and his friends, magical cores had grown to an almost dangerous level. No one knew of it, apart from McGonagall and Mr. Weasley, Ron's dad, but they were powerful...really powerful. As they had trained, they magical cores had still been growing, so, like any muscle in the body, as you train it, it gets bigger, especially if you are a teenager.
But finally, the battle of just wands occurred, in the Ministry of Magic Atrium of all places, with Voldemort and Harry at the forefront, many just stood there and watching. Finally, Harry fulfilled the prophecy. He had been named 'Hero' throughout all the magical world, his fame had reached even the darkest and smallest cave, and when he had though that it had reached it's peak, his name only climbed higher on the ladder of famous wizards. For only one year after he had killed Voldemort, he was on par with Merlin. Although, like McGonagall had said, many reporters had been fighting that day, some even alongside him, so they knew and saw what he did and accomplished. There was no hiding his magical possibilities after that.
So here he sat, wallowing in his own self pity. He was the last one left.
Ron and Hermione had married their prospective partners, had kids and then died of old age. Neville had married Luna Lovegood and after twenty six years of marriage and five babies, had died from a venomous tenacula plant in his backyard. Ginny, Dean, Seamus and Fred and George had been killed by Death Eaters in the final battle. Along with many, many others.
Once McGonagall had died, apparently of old age, Harry thought that perhaps she too had figured that she had no one to live for, Harry had taken over as Headmaster of Hogwarts and had taken Dumbledore's old jobs and titles as Supreme Mugwump and Chief Warlock. But...it hadn't filled the void. It had been ten years since Minerva had died and now Harry was old and alone. And...succumbing to it's persuasion. Which was why, a wizened old man in a portrait was now yelling at him.
"Harry, you cant!"
Harry rolled his eyes and, with great effort, lifted his creaky bones out of the Headmasters...his...chair.
"Shove off, Ron. I can do whatever the hell I like."
He heard Ron scoff in his portrait. Harry had made sure that his best friends, including Hermione and Neville, all had a portrait in his office.
But they were portraits, not the real thing.
At the moment Hermione was with her existing family in another portrait, and Neville was wandering the Hogwarts Halls, no doubt looking for trouble makers. He had tended to do that when Harry got all depressive-didn't like seeing what his friend had become.
"You think so, but you cant!" Ron almost whined as Harry had relayed his plans a moment before. He had been planning this plan for at least one year and Ron liked it as much then as he did now.
Harry then leant back against the desk and stretched his hand out that was carrying a small time-turner, raising a white eyebrow at Ron, who looked like he wanted nothing better than to get out of his portrait and snatch the dangling necklace away, "And why not. There's nothing left-"
"You have everything here! Everything! I'm sure that if I can go and find Hermione right now, she'll tell you-"
"Why don't you tell me." snapped Harry, stopping Ron's head from swivelling to Hermione's empty portrait, "Tell me everything that I have got to live for."
Ron pulled at the collar of his shirt and grimaced, "Uh...well..."
His bright green eyes flashed, and he tugged the hourglass pendant towards him, "Exactly. Nothing, I have nothing to live here for. And anyway, it's not like I'm dying-"
"Your memory is! And what you want to do could get you killed! It's Voldemort, Harry. Voldemort. I know it's been a while since you and him faced off, but he was powerful. Like, really, really powerful."
Harry rolled his eyes again as he examined the golden necklace, "I am aware of what Tom Riddle was like, Ron. I know that he was powerful and I know that it took me a while to kill him. But you seem to forget the most intricate part of my plan. The Horcruxes. I'll get them all before he comes back and then when he does, I'll kill him. Simple-"
"It will not be simple, my boy. It will be anything but." said a quiet voice from behind him. Harry turned to see two startling blue eyes bore into his green.
Harry rubbed his eyes, aware of all the portraits present staring at him, "I do know that, Albus. I do. But...I'm on my own here, and to be honest, I don't think that I'm going anywhere soon, either. I want- no...I need to do this. I need another chance, another go at life. I'll make it better. Ron, I'll make it so that you and Hannah get together way sooner, I'll make sure that Blaise and Theo are safe, I'll make sure that Hermione gets where she needs to go and with Blaise. I'll make sure that Neville and Luna are best friends from the beginning. And...I'll make sure that everybody survives it. All of it. I'm going to make a better world." By the end of his little speech, both he, Ron and Dumbledore (and some of the portraits) had tears in their eyes, so Harry turned and tapped his fully packed large trunk with the elder wand, his wand as he was still the Master of Death, and it shrunk to the size of a mouse.
"W-what do I tell...'Mione and N-nev'? Merlin, Neville's gunna kill me! And...well.."
Harry sighed, wiped his eyes, and turned, all the while placing his trunk inside his pocket in his black robes, "Just...say that you couldn't stop me. That you tried your hardest, but you couldn't. This is it, I guess..."
Dumbledore cleared his throat and Harry turned to him, "Good luck, m'boy. Take care, and...do try and keep yourself safe, yes?"
Harry chuckled in a raspy tone and nodded. He sucked in a shaky breath and brought the time-turner up to his eye-line. He smiled weakly at Ron, finding that was all he could do, and tapped his wand gently on the hourglass, "Conspictum." At once the time turner started spinning at a very rapid speed and Harry felt his feet lift the ground.
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