Disclaimer: I'm back with a new story I thought up but as usual, I own nothing from the Harry Potter world. And just so you know it, I picked whatever I liked best from movies or books so don't sue me for switching between those two worlds!
Summary: Instead of Fred it is Ginny who dies in the battle of Hogwarts. In an attempt to forget his pain Harry runs and finds an escape. A ritual that will give him a new start, in another time while taking away all those nasty memories. What can possibly go wrong?
Warning: I hate homophobia because I know someone who's father is gay and was too scared of homophobic people to admit it and married, got kits and all that while cheating on his poor wife. So either you can deal with this being a slash story, or you better don't even start reading it! Not all will be gay though but Harry will end up with a guy! Also, I know my spellings aren't good in my defence English is not my first language and I do have dyslexia! I do try my best even using Grammarly! So please take your complains about that and shove them up your asses! Thanks!
New life, new time
Chapter one
It is done. Finally. Voldemort is dead! Harry still can't believe that it's over and that he's still alive. Well, still probably isn't the right term considering that he had died temporarily but he's alive now. He knows that he should be happy, but he can't really be happy. Too many have died in this last battle alone. Too many before it even began. Cedric only being the first on a seemingly endless list. Harry walks away from the castle for a moment towards the bridge and looks away from the battlefield unable to face who else has made it onto that damned list of fallen. His friends, Hermione and Ron, find him quickly. He explains to them about the elder wand and after repairing his own he breaks it and throws it away. A wand as powerful that people kill to have it should never exist. At least not in his opinion.
It is quiet and peaceful while he watches away from the battle but after a few moments in peace with his friends he takes a deep breath and taking Hermione in the middle the three of them walk back towards the castle to face the aftermath. Slowly Harry enters the great hall. The dead he already has seen line his way at the entrance and moving around those are some sombre and occasionally bruised looking people mumbling and some smile sadly at what should be a happy end. A few even congratulate Harry for winning. But how can it truly be a happy end with that many dead people in the room?
A little further into the room the trio stops at the cluster of redheads. Harry looks at Ron worriedly and sees him swallow in fear. They see a bit of red hair on the floor where Molly is hunched over what must be one of her children. Fred and Gorge on one of her sides each. Percy is on the other side of the dead body with his father, Charly and Bill. "No." Harry suddenly hears from his own mouth and steps back. Fred who is at the head of the lying child moves a little and Harry sees that the bit of red hair was only the tip of the long hair that he knows all too well.
"Ginny." Ron breathes sounding shocked.
While Ron steps forwards Harry steps back shaking his head thinking 'No, not her, please, not her.'
"Harry," Hermione whispers worriedly towards her friend. Ron turns to look at him too but Harry just turns and runs as fast as he can, skipping past everyone who tries to stop him, to hug him, to comfort him. He needs no comfort he tells himself because it isn't true. Because it can't be true. Because if it were true, he wouldn't want to have survived this. He would rather have stayed dead than see this.
He keeps running through the halls and hears Hermione's call after him again. Harry assumes that Ron stayed with his family while she will try and comfort their friend but Harry doesn't need comfort because this is just a nightmare and he can deal with nightmares because they are not real.
He keeps telling himself that it's not real, while he runs from Hermione, from the voice of reason that might want to tell him otherwise. He just doesn't want to hear it. Hearing it might make it true and that is something he can't even think about, never mind except.
He runs not looking where he goes until he notices a painting on the wall and realises where he is. He runs around another corner and into a bathroom. Not even bothering to check if the ghost that lives here is currently around he just runs to the sink hissing 'Open' as soon as he sees the snake and once he is down there he slows knowing that it closes again behind him. Hermione won't be able to come after him and since she hadn't seen him it will take them time to even think about looking down here and even then, she'd need Ron who somehow managed to copy his sleep hissing before.
He walks past the shedded skin and the cave-in towards the door of the chamber, trying not to think about anything but the way he's going. 'open' he hisses once again when he reaches the room with the huge snake skeleton. It's nearly the same as it was, just missing yet another tooth, thanks to Hermione and Ron taking one during the battle not long ago, and well, it's just a skeleton now. Harry looks around wondering what he can do. He has to do something. Doing nothing will give him time to think and he doesn't want to think. He doesn't even dare to think why he doesn't want to think, even though it is constantly nagging him at the back of his thoughts. The picture of that long red hair not truly leaving his mind as much as he tries to tell himself that it's just a nightmare and can't be true.
He retraces the steps he had run from the snake in his second year. Trying just to think of what he sees.
A snake statue, a snake statue, a snake statue. Not the most creative décor but for now enough to force his mind from anything but trying to find a difference in the identical status. And obviously failing unless the chipped of pieces count as differences. He walks the tunnels, or pipes or whatever it is and keeps forcing his mind to what he sees, water, yucky water, a rat, a rat skeleton, more yucky water and yuck, he has no idea what it is but it is green and slimy and most certainly yucky! He shivers with disgust from the strange slime and walks on. Walking into one of the slightly smaller pipes to see if there is anything of interest. And again, water, and yucky water, a rat, and more water and again some yucky green slime. No skeletons though.
He has no idea how long he is walking around trying to force his mind onto whatever he sees no matter how gross, even though he did find out that apparently whatever was flushed down the toilets is passing through at least some pipes here. And again, a big fat yuck. Still better than the thoughts that are still trying to take over his mind.
After God only knows how many hours Harry's eyes are nearly dropping close while he's walking when he finally finds something that might hold his interest longer than yuck, yuckier and the yuckiest. There is another door. Not a round one like the entrance. A normal one and the handle is a snake. He tries to open it but it doesn't work. 'Open' he hisses again hoping it works and it does. The next time he tries the handle it finally opens and he walks into it. Behind it, he finds a room. There is a small bed and a desk as well as a chair. Everything is covered in a thick layer of dust. He walks into the room anyway and looks at the desk trying to find something, anything to take his mind of whatever is trying to force itself back to be front and centre in his mind. There is a book that is wrapped in a cord and the knot on it sealed along with a letter on top that is also sealed.
The book is red and looks very old. The writing on the cover too faded to read. The letter, however, while also looking old, can still be read and Harry stares at the writing on it.
In big red letters, he can read *Harry James Potter*! He looks at it some more and then breaks the seal. It is addressed to him so he might as well read it.
*Dear Harry
I know what happened to you by the time you'll find this. I know that you are frantically trying not to think. I have left this book for you. In it is a spell you'll find on page 34. Read it and do it. It will send you back in time. A long time back through time. Too long to change anything major. And you don't have to worry about anything. This book is about time magic, all of it. It includes even how a time turner is crafted. Don't worry about repercussions. I promise there will only be one. To move that far back in time, one must be willing to give up their memories of their own time. At least some of his memories. You won't remember your friends, you won't even remember your name. All you'll remember is what has been ingrained into your brain. The spells you used often and know well. Like Lumos, Expeliarmus, and almost all others that you have ever learned. No potions, you won't know them well enough to remember, Snape probably would know them all but not you. You will, however, also forget all about Voldemort, all about the war and all about the pain you are desperately trying not to feel right now. You get a chance to start over. There is a chance that some memories will return and some of the painful ones will return for sure. But slowly, one after the other and I promise, by then you'll have a happy life that will help you cope with the pain that is long gone. You will be sad about most things when you remember them, but you'll also, already, be happy about your life. Happy enough that you won't fall apart about anything.
You might wonder how I know that and why you should trust me. I'll tell you. I still haven't regained all my memories but I'm nearly 100 years old. I'm married, have children and grandchildren and even a great-grandchild by now. And even though I have a different name now, I once was known as Harry James Potter and as I said, I don't know everything, but enough that you want to forget and have very good reasons right now. Use the spell, because if you won't, this letter would never be written and you won't have an escape. And it also means that without travelling in time, you'll change it. Remember your third year? If you hadn't gone back, you couldn't have saved yourself and Sirius. Time protects itself and no matter what Hermione said about time travel being dangerous, short term travel is because you might see yourself and freak your younger version out. But going back multiple generations is perfectly safe as long as you use away that doesn't threaten the protection time has, and this way will be safe. So do it, now.*
There is no signature. But he didn't need one. The remainder of his third year was enough. He had to do this because he already had. This letter lay here god only knows how long and who else could have easily reached this place to do this. The Basilisk only comes when called. Which means that he can do as he wants while he is in a time with no heir, who lets it run wild., Harry could come to write this letter and hide it here. He smiles and brakes the seal on the book and opens it to page 34 to read the ritual only focusing on that and on his escape from his memories. He knows that there are probably other ways to forget. Lockhart forgot everything after all. But the life pictured in this letter with as little details as it was, is clearly preferable to Lockhart's current living situation in the loony ward. After reading it he looks around quickly finding everything he needs and luckily the ritual and spell sounds simple enough and since clearly, he had succeeded he doesn't really need to worry about failing. He lights the candles and draws the runes around himself on the floor inside the circle of candles and then reads the words in the book as good as he can, not certain about pronunciation but still confident due to the letter and the knowledge that he'll be able to do this.
A blinding light comes from the candles the second he finished speaking and the next moment he is crouching on the ground. He sees trees around himself and through them towards one direction he sees a village while the forest seems to spread on the other side.
He blinks. He is extremely tired even though the sun is high in the sky and it clearly is midday. He wonders why but has no idea. He doesn't know anything, not even how he's gotten to where he is. He doesn't even know, who he is.
Authors Note: I hope you like the short start. I already have the story written but I had multiple ideas and did write a few versions of some chapters so I'd like to know if you like it the way it is or if you had preferred it if Harry, despite the shock, would have thought of his godchild Teddy and taken him along or at least make sure that Andromeda would raise him and be able to do so until Ted is old enough not to need anyone. Or maybe even get Ron or someone else to replace him as Ted's godfather? Or should all three have decided to go? And where do you think he'll end up? Okay, that one will be rather obvious if you know me at all but still. And will Ron and Hermione ever find out what happened to Harry? If yes, how will they react to it? Please let me know about your thoughts and wishes for how this should continue! By the way, I'll add further names to the character list once we are a bit further into the story, I don't want to tell you everything just yet!