"Avada Kedavra"
A green light sped towards Harry. He tried to duck but wasn't quick enough. Everything was black.
Pain….Black…Pain….
Harry slowly opened his eyes. He was in pitch darkness, why? He stretched, slowly as the aches and pains in his body made themselves present. The place he was in slowly lightened, and he could make out blurry shapes….where were his glasses?
Oh! Everything was suddenly clearer as his glasses appeared on his nose. Harry looked around. It appeared he was at Kings Cross station. He sat up; absently noticing his was suddenly clothed in his Hogwarts uniform. He saw movement at the end of the station, someone walking towards him wearing robes bright enough to make your eyes bleed. Dumbledore.
"I don't want to see you!" Harry muttered, and was shocked when, after a momentary pause, Dumbledore tried once again to walk forward.
"NO!" Harry said and watched as Dumbledore disappeared. In his place came bounding forward a large slobbery black dog.
"Padfoot!" The dog transformed mid leap and suddenly Harry found himself enveloped in his godfather's arms.
"Oh pup. I've missed you!"
Harry breathed deeply the smell of his godfather. Part sweaty male, part damp dog and whatever aftershave he was wearing to 'appeal to the ladies'.
"I'm dead aren't I?" Harry asked.
Sirius cocked his head and looked at Harry thoughtfully.
"Yes and no. What's-his-name hit you with the killing curse. But you weren't supposed to die then. See that thing over there?"
Harry looked to where Sirius was pointing and saw for the first time, a crying, red blistered looking baby under a seat.
"What is that?" Harry asked in revulsion. "What's wrong with it?"
Sirius replied, "That Harry, was a horcrux, the one that was in your head, left there the night He-who-forgot-his-own-name attacked you at Godric's Hollow. That is your ticket back!"
"What?"
"I'm glad you sent Dumbledore away Harry. I don't trust him and I would have hoped that you'd have figured that out in the letter I left you at Gringotts,. The letter that you didn't ever get because Dumbledore prevented you from attending my will reading!" Sirius's voice rose as he continued.
"He is a no good bastard that believes everything is For the Greater Good, not realising that he treads roughshod over everyone in his grand plan for the world. He wouldn't tell you this but you have three choices. You can move on, leaving behind you all your friends who would probably be killed soon anyway. You can go back to the time you were killed and continue on. Or the third choice, you can go back to the beginning. You can make changes to how things turned out."
"Wait, wait. This is all happening too fast. Dumbledore….I hate him!" Harry said wonderingly, as he only just figured out why he didn't want to see the man. His memory was suddenly crystal clear and he saw back all the instances in life where he was manipulated by Dumbledore, lied to and misdirected. Why would a school Headmaster have any say as to where a student stayed in the school holidays? Why were his Aunt and Uncle never investigated by Social Services? Why had certain teachers in school who had reached out to him suddenly been transferred or fired, leaving Harry isolated and alone? Why was the Head of the Wizengamot not able to bring Sirius to trial if he agreed he wasn't guilty back in Harry's third year? And then Harry got to thinking about his time in the wizarding world. Why did Mrs Weasley loudly talk about Muggles at the train station, when she had already been there for years starting with Bill and Charlie! Why was Hagrid, dear befuddled man, sent to give me the information about rejoining the wizarding world and not one of the House Heads like Hermione had?
"That BASTARD!" Harry exclaimed.
"I pick choice three. Take me back to the beginning! I want to do things again! Without anyone else making the choices!"
'Bravo! Good choice Harry! Now, I'm not 100% sure when you'll be sent back to. I was told the beginning. It could be the beginning of the year, the beginning of your time in the Wizarding world, or it could be the very beginning and you find yourself swimming around in Prong's ball sack.."
"Gross Paddy. Thanks for the image, bleh."
"…but wherever you turn up, you should have your memories. And Harry, if you get a chance, can you stop me dieing like I did. Bloody embarrassing, being offed by a ugly curtain!"
"I'll do my best Sirius. So, do I take that …thing… with me?"
"God know, why'd you want to do that? If it stays here, you can go back. Only one soul can pass through here at a time. Its because you can send him onwards that you can go back!"
"Ok, send me back. This time I have two old bastards to deal with."
"Right, and Harry, give them hell!"
Harry suddenly felt a falling sensation and the world went black once more. His body began to ache once more and Harry despairingly thought perhaps it was all a hallucination.
Harry suddenly winced at the bright light. In his hands was a thick, yellowy parchment envelope, addressed in emerald-green ink.
Mr H. Potter
The cupboard under the Stairs
4 Privet Drive
Little Whinging
Surrey
The Bastard! Harry thought, his memory refreshed again. Dumbledore knew of how his relatives treated him and he was still sent back every year and told it was for the best! Who keeps a child in a cupboard?
"Hurry up, boy! What are you doing, checking for letter-bombs?" Uncle Vernon chuckled from the kitchen.
Harry slowly turned around…this could be interesting!
